Magic of Carealot : THE SEQUEL!
by jesphoenix05
Summary: AZ. 4yrs have passed since Zel and Ame were in Carealot. It's time for Ame's 21st bday and it seems Zel's not the only one who's noticed Amelia's all grown up! He better hurry fairytale heroes are supposed to arrive right in the nick of time!
1. The story so far

**The Magic of Care-a-lot – Part Deux**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own: Slayers, Care Bears, Little House on the Prairie, Yugioh, Dragon Quest VIII, etc… on goes the "Where's Waldo?" game of crossovers I always play with my stories! Seriously…no harm intended.

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**Introduction:** **The story so far…**

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"Kate" walked off her ship onto the landing bay of her secret base and sighed tiredly as she headed for her quarters. The business of keeping earth under the radar from psychotic super powerful beings was getting more and more complicated as the humanoid species on that planet tumbled recklessly into "technological advancement". They had found the Stargate finally but fortunately they haven't figured out how to use it. They found the millennium puzzle but it remained blissfully in pieces. The other millennium items were also available now too but they were powerless as long as the puzzle was still in pieces. Thank goodness for small favors!

"I need a vacation," she sighed as she stripped out of the jaffa uniform she'd been wearing for this particular covert op and dumped it in the recycle chute. The year was 1969 and she was currently known as a supermodel named Victoria. She had returned to earth in a hurry a few months back when her observation post on earth's satellite had nearly been discovered by their haphazard first attempt at space travel. After WWII she had thought earth was all but destroyed she had left with intention to never return so it was quite a pleasant surprise to find they hadn't raped, killed or otherwise nuked themselves to oblivion.

So she had taken up her post once again as earth's secret protector since it looked like they would soon be able to do it themselves. Ra was making moves to retake the Tau'ri home world so she had infiltrated Apophasis' fleet to sabotage him and frame Ra. She'd done the same to Ra already and with the war those two were constantly on the brink of she figured it would keep them busy for the next 40 years at least.

"Tea…Earl Grey…Hot," she ordered from her replicator. In a swirl of light a white cup with the steaming liquid materialized on the replicator counter. She took a sip finally allowing herself to relax after spending weeks as a jaffa soldier. She walked out of her bedroom and into her office and sat at her console to check up on events in the patrol zone. This whole "policing the universe" thing was not as glamorous as some thought it was.

"Especially when you're doing it by yourself," she muttered annoyed as she turned on her console but for once the universe was relatively quiet. There was only one alert blinking on her console and it was coming from Carealot. Intrigued she pulled up the file. The last time she had gone on business to Carealot was when Zelgadis Greywords had been diverted there so the spell Rezo half-assed on him to make him a chimera could be fixed. She needed the boy to remain a chimera after all! She had covertly caused Lina to miss-cast a teleportation spell to send Zel to Carealot.

Amelia had been diverted there along with him and the little bonus of having Aoshi and Misao Shinomori present had certainly sped things up! The Care Bears did their thing… Dark Heart did his thing and… _boom _… the self loathing that impeded Zelgadis from realizing his full potential as a chimera disappeared. Certainly Misao and Aoshi's presence had been an accident but a useful one in the end. One that had made her job much easier... boy how she missed those two…

"Whoa…" she whispered softly as an impossible sight greeted her eyes as she pulled up an image of Carealot with her sensors. Carealot was a place that existed outside of normal time so the fact that it hadn't changed in the 300 years she'd been going to it didn't surprise her. The thing that did surprise her was _who_ was in Carealot. Zelgadis Greywords marched briskly with Funshine Bear at his side towards the Hall of Hearts as the rest of the "family" hurried towards the castle as well.

"This is interesting…" she whispered as she watched her console. Now Zel in Carealot wasn't usually a big deal because he'd been given access to inter-dimensional teleportation powers and had been bringing Amelia there often for some time after his encounters with the evil book spirit and Dark Heart. But to find him there (all dolled up like prince from a fairy tale by the way!) alone…now _that_ was weird! She checked all the circumstances and it didn't look like the situation would require her intervention but sometimes you just never knew so she sat back and watched in case Zelgadis required assistance…

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Ok now on with the show! 


	2. Here we go again!

**The Magic Of Care-a-lot – THE SEQUEL**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own: Slayers, Care Bears, Little House on the Prairie, Yugioh, Dragon Quest VIII, etc… on goes the "Where's Waldo?" game of crossovers I always play with my stories! Seriously…no harm intended.

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**Episode one: Oh boy! Here we go again…**

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Time flies when you're having fun… 

Zelgadis took his time as he made his way up the road. He made this trek several times a year but he always liked to take his time during the spring so he could admire the peaceful scenery. Amelia's twenty-first birthday would be in two weeks and while he looked forward to spending time with the cheerful princess he didn't relish the thought of the endless parties that she would drag him to for the next two weeks. He was sure this year the parties would be twice as many since Amelia would be crowned queen sometime this year!

'Quit your whining and take it like a man!' Brau teased. Zel just rolled his eyes annoyed but once the festivities were over though Amelia would pack up her things and go traveling with him, Lina and Gourry as she did almost every time he came to visit. That part was the one he looked forward to the most! Especially since it would likely be Amelia's last trip before she took up her post as ruler of her people. He would dearly miss her on the road but nothing lasts forever. Even Lina and Gourry would likely stop traveling with him soon…

'I love the dancing!' Golem sighed. Zel sternly warned him to end this line of thinking now. Last year Golem had commented that he liked dancing with her in crowded ballrooms because it pulled her close. Brau had taken the comment a bit further by noting that she was _soft and squishy_ in all the right places! That single comment had unleashed so many "X" rated dreams that he'd been forced to stay away for at least three months traveling alone. He'd even gone as far as scaling the Mountain of Tears to make the dreams stop!

'Don't you dare!' he grumbled at Brau as the demon snickered mischievously. It didn't help that the perverted little demon did absolutely nothing to stop them! Every now and again since then he would pop an image into Zelgadis' brain that would cause terminal failure to his ability to form coherent speech; it was just lucky that Zel was by nature stoically silent and nobody would notice.

He looked up as the first house from a small village outside of Saillune came into view. It was Farmer John's house. He liked taking this route to Seyruun the people of this village were friendly and hospitable without being overly cheerful or nosy. Farmer John and his family had taken him in one night that he'd been traveling alone. The inn was full and it was raining outside. He had taken a liking to his family (and they to him!) since then perhaps because of the way they treated him…It felt almost like family. Though he would probably never admit it out loud! Tough, loner, mysterious swordsman didn't need family! Right?

In fact last year he had saved his only daughter from dying slowly and painfully of a debilitating bone disease by – ironically enough – turning her into a chimera much like himself. The girl however had accepted the change way better than he had and thoroughly relished the power as well as the unusual looks. This really shouldn't have surprised him she had been a deathly pale skinny child confined to a chair since she was two because of her disease towards the end in fact she'd been bed-ridden thus why Zel had agreed to change her.

Thanks to the golem portion which replaced her failing bone structure she was able to run, walk, jump and do all those thing normal kids do plus a little extra thanks to the brau part. He stopped by often to check on her studies. He spotted her helping her brothers rebuild the stone fence with a simple levitation spell he'd taught her. As he approached he was impressed with the eleven-year-old's control.

"You keep that up you might be stronger than Lina some day!" Zel called out as he approached. The little girl put the stones down with a soft thud and rushed over to greet him. Her pig tails bouncing cheerfully as she skipped towards him. He was glad she hadn't been cursed with the metal hair!

"Good Morning Master Zelgadis!" she greeted cheerfully skipping up to him "do you really think so Master?" the petit girl piped up cheerfully. He nodded and patted her on the head. Her older brothers joined her and her mother came out of the house as well and headed towards him. Little Laura was one of six and the youngest to boot. Her loss would've devastated her family and it was only as a last resort that Zelgadis changed the girl utilizing the spells he'd finally acquired after years of retracing Rezo's steps.

Her family had been extremely grateful and took him in every time he was in town whether the inn was full or not. The only time he didn't stick around was when Gourry and Lina were with him. He feared they'd eat the Ingalls out of their life's work if they stayed more than a few hours! They were good people though and he always brought gifts whenever he traveled with those two bottomless pits. Normally he would've stayed today and taught Laura some more magic but he was expected at the Palace tonight.

"Good Morning Zelgadis! Heading straight up to the castle today?" her mother greeted amicably. He returned her greeting and nodded. Laura informed him that the Blacksmith Cid was going into the capital today to sell his wares and purchase supplies. He could get a ride with him if he wished. So he bid farewell to Mrs. Ingalls and with her brood in tow (who were anxious to hear Zel's latest adventure!) he headed up to the blacksmith's shop waving hello to people as he went by. Once at the shop he bid farewell to his little apprentice and her over-protective brothers as he rode away with the old blacksmith.

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They arrived at the capital just before sunset and Zel was not surprised to see the city already decked out for the festivities. As they rode towards the market Zel noted with some surprise that the people in the city went out of their way to greet him. People would stop whatever they were doing and look up to cheerfully call out "Good Evening Lord Greywords!" which was strange because the only ones who usually called him that were the palace guards! 

'I wonder what's up with people today,' Zel wondered as he waved in reply to the cheerful greetings.

'Maybe it's because its Amelia's 21st b-day and she gets to be queen this year?' Brau surmised.

'Yea…Maybe their just trying to be extra polite to her friends…' Golem agreed. Zel thought Golem was probably right but he'd hold any further speculation until he could talk to her.

Seeing the way Zelgadis was being greeted by the folks at the capital the blacksmith took the detour and rode all the way to the palace to drop Zelgadis off at the gates rather than make him walk from the market. Zelgadis thanked him for his concern but was further mystified by the way people were treating him all of a sudden. When he arrived at the palace gates he hopped off the old man's cart waved goodbye and walked up to the gate.

"Good Evening Lord Greywords!" the guard greeted crisply as he snapped to attention. Zel paused looking confused as he realized both guards had snapped to attention…

'Ok, what in the world is going on!' he thought. The palace guards were always polite but fairly easy going. They were never this formal. Especially the boys who were at the gate today! Jonouchi and Honda were hardly ever formal!

"At ease soldier… You know you don't have to be so formal with me," Zel replied seriously. Jo smirked mischievously for a second which was some cause for alarm. Honda, Jo and his brother Yugi were notorious pranksters and it was a prank gone wrong that had landed Jo and Honda in conscripted service and Yugi joined out of solidarity to them and to avoid punishment from their grandfather. Jo let out a loud whistle and his little brother materialized from the guard house with a huge smile on his face.

"Take Lord Greywords up to his quarters! Let the princess know he's here!" Jo ordered. Yugi snapped a quick salute and beckoned Zel to follow him. Cautiously Zel followed the little prankster keeping a look out for any "ambushes". When he got to the palace steps however he almost let out a sigh of relief as a young captain of the guard one Seto Kaiba – the head of Amelia's personal security detail – hurried up to them. He dismissed Yugi and took over. Zel waved goodbye surprised that Yugi had been so quick to obey orders. Yugi usually dragged his feet especially when it came to obeying Seto's orders.

"Evening Lord Greywords!" the young man intoned seriously. Zel replied in kind. Seto's formality didn't surprise him this young man had always been very serious. He sometimes reminded him of Aoshi. He was always formal but always direct.

"So what's going? Why are those guys acting so formal?" Zel asked straight out. Seto furrowed his brow in concern. They reached Zel's usual quarters and informed him that his palace wear and a bath were already waiting for him. He told him that Mr. and Mrs. Gabriev had already arrived and were already at the ball dismembering the banquet table.

"I'll explain more on our way to the ball room sir! Please change sir as quickly as possible! I'll wait outside." Seto intoned formally and snapped a sharp salute then walked out.

'What in the world was that!' Brau wondered echoing Golem and Zel's surprise. Zel shook himself out of his momentary shock at Seto's intriguing behavior it was too formal and solemn even for Seto. He had sensed an unusual amount of stress, anger and frustration from him but some how he didn't think it had much to do with the security arrangements for the impending celebrations.

He quickly went through his bath and changed into a white and gold military style suit that Amelia had given him as a gift four years ago and had been laid out on the bed pressed and ready for wear. He left it in the palace because this is the only place he ever wore such impractical things. For a moment he resented having to wear it because the first ball had never required formality in years previous but something in Seto's tone had alerted him that something was wrong and this year things were very different. He noted as he dressed that every button had been polished to a gleam recently and new boots had been laid beside the suit.

'Ok now I'm starting to worry…' Golem whined softly. He checked himself in the mirror and raking his fingers through his hair quickly applying a drying spell to make sure his hair was in its proper "mysterious swordsman" look then walked briskly to the door. Seto was standing at parade rest near the door and nearly sighed in relief when Zelgadis stepped out just over 15 minutes after they'd arrived.

"Alright Capt. Kaiba… before we go let's hear what's going on!" Zel demanded solemnly. Reluctantly at first Seto explained that the much hated slovenly Prince Charmles (or Charm-less as he was often called by Amelia and many other princesses!) had demanded the right to court Amelia through some old Saillune law that obligated any unmarried Seyruun royal family member to give a fair chance to any noble blooded or high ranked suitor of becoming a consort of said royal. His demand had sparked a chain reaction as every loser "prince" from across the continent showed up to demand the same.

Zel's blood drained from his face. A sudden image of the piggish, self important Prince Charm-less trying to lay a finger on Amelia suddenly came unbidden into his mind. The fire of rage and jealousy suddenly exploded in his heart!

'OH HELL NO!' Brau cursed loudly as Golem muttered not so nice things about Charmles. It took every once of Zel's self control to reign in his rage.

"There is more sir…" Seto intoned before Zel could find words to reply. He explained that every unmarried male in attendance at the ball tonight would be given a certain amount of time to speak or be near the princess but they were attended only in the order in which they arrived and unfortunately for Zel he was the last to arrive.

"Wait a minute! Are you telling me that in order to wish my friend a Happy Birthday I have to wait in line behind a bunch of idiots!" Zel nearly roared completely incensed by this insult! Seto remained unflinching.

"The princess is extremely unhappy about this situation and my men and I have done our best to keep things under control but they're ruining her birthday celebrations if you have any ideas sir…" Seto replied seriously then smirked slightly. Zel finally understood why the guards were so happy to see him. If anyone could rescue Amelia from this situation they figured it would be the logical minded cool headed Lord Greywords!

"What's worse is that those idiotic, self important peacocks have been strutting around this castle for nearly a week acting like our princess is some sort of trophy that one of _them_ can go put on their shelf," Seto added grumbling indignantly. The palace guards had always been protective of the royal family and Seto was probably the worst injured since it had been Amelia who helped him get his first promotion. Seto – an orphan with no high family lineage – had climbed quickly on the ranks through his hard work and sheer genius. A genius first recognized by Amelia.

"I'm surprised Lina hasn't blown more than a few up already," Zel intoned seriously imagining she would've threatened more than one with a Dragon Slave or at least a fireball! Seto smirked.

"She would've except the princess, her father and Lord Gabriev have been holding her back. Prince Philionel wishes to avoid an international incident," Seto smirked in a way that told Zelgadis that he was working on a way around that. Sure enough as Zel pressed him for more details Seto explained that Jo, Honda and Yugi had been allowed free reign with their "creative humor" so long as the attacks were directed to the "suitors" and they endeavored to not get caught. Zel smirked. That explained why Yugi had been so quick to follow commands!

"Well alright it seems like you have that covered," Zel began thoughtfully as Seto drew himself up proudly.

"Now we have to figure out a way to fix Amelia's ruined party and I think I know how…" Zel concluded with a sly grin. He instructed Seto to wait for him for a moment. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the magic he used only for Amelia on rare occasions. A swirl of silver light enveloped him and when he opened his eyes again there was nothing but clouds and bright rainbows as far as the eye could see. He looked down and found himself surrounded by several colorful and fluffy little beings.

"Hello Zelgadis! Welcome back to Carealot! Where's Amelia?" Funshine Bear greeted cheerfully…


	3. Oi Vai!

**Magic of Care-a-lot strikes back!**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own: Slayers, Care Bears, Little House on the Prairie, Yugioh, Dragon Quest VIII, etc… on goes the "Where's Waldo?" game of crossovers I always play with my stories! Seriously…no harm intended.

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**Episode 2: Welcome back to Carealot! Oi vai… **

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A swirl of silver light enveloped him and when he opened his eyes again there was nothing but clouds and bright rainbows as far as the eye could see. He looked down and found himself surrounded by several colorful and fluffy little beings. 

"Hello Zelgadis! Welcome back to Carealot! Where's Amelia?" Funshine Bear greeted cheerfully. Zel smirked and greeted the little bears amicably.

"She's the reason I'm here! I need to talk to True Heart and Noble Heart and if possible the entire Care family. It's an emergency!" Zel intoned seriously. Quickly the bears and their cousins rallied to gather as Funshine directed Zelgadis to the Hall of Hearts.

"You know the caring meter dropped a point but we couldn't figure out why! I wonder if it has anything to do with Amelia." Funshine speculated as he and Zel entered the Hall. Zel greeted True Heart and Noble Heart with a quick hug and waited for all the bears to arrive. As the bears and their cousins took their places around the heart-shaped table Zel explained the situation and as he explained the caring meter continued to drop causing the bears some alarm.

"We have to help Amelia!" Tender Heart exclaimed.

"…and it looks like it'll be a job for all of us!" Brave heart lion agreed. The family all expressed their concern for Amelia and quickly it was decided that they would all go back with Zelgadis. This was the part that was going to be difficult. Transporting Amelia every now and then wasn't really hard but _all_ of them at the same time was going to be _very_ different.

'No! It's _no_ different! Only different in your mind!' lectured Brau.

'Free yourself of limitations…You must unlearn what you have learned!' added Golem with conviction. As an image of an unhappy Amelia forcing herself to smile and listen to morons like Charmles popped into Zel's mind his resolve hardened. He would not let _anyone_ ruin her birthday!

"Ok here we go! Everyone hold hands…" he instructed as he took hold of True heart and Noble heart's hands. Everyone crowded around him including Grams bear and Baby Hugs and Baby Tugs. A swirl of silver light surrounded them all and when he opened his eyes he was back in the hallway in front of his room. A very surprised Seto looked around in confusion…

"Uh sir…" Seto began uncertainly as he took in the sight of the unusual Care Family. Zel held up his hand to stop him taking a moment to catch his breath. He then instructed him to go ahead and make sure the band stopped playing when he and the Care family arrived. Seto hurried ahead of them as Zel reached down to scoop up Baby Hugs and Baby Tugs.

"Alright everyone follow me!" Zel called out as everyone cheered…

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To say that Amelia was unhappy was a severe understatement. Prince Gaston had gone on and on forever in a most arrogant and conceited manner about his hunting trophies and managed to step on everybody's toes with his ridiculously over blown self infatuation to the point were even Gourry was ready to pound him into dust! Occasionally she would look up to see if Mr. Zelgadis had arrived he was the one person she was most anxious to see but because of her current situation though she was afraid that Zelgadis would be offended at being the only one of her friends left out and not come at all. 

"Enough's enough Amelia you have to let me fireball the next idiot!" Lina growled angrily. Gourry wrapped a comforting arm around his petit and easily angered wife. Lina relaxed just a little. Amelia sighed 'if it were only that simple!' she thought. Again she craned her neck to see if Zelgadis had arrived but she was starting to give up. A maid had said she seen him arrive but the guards had taken him to his room. That had been almost an hour ago and Zelgadis was still nowhere to be seen.

"It's no use…" she said softly signaling with a gesture to her handmaiden that she wanted a break from the "interviews". The young woman nodded and quickly moved to comply. Lina and Martina stepped away from their husbands and walked towards the throne in an attempt to cheer her up which seemed an impossible task since even Phil looked a bit despondent…

"Don't worry Amelia…Zelgadis will come…" Lina said softly.

"Zelgadis isn't petty like that…" Martina tried but they both knew how proud Zel was and were afraid that he'd balk at having to wait in line while all his friends got to be with Amelia. Amelia smiled sadly…

"I would understand though, if I were in his place I'd be pretty mad too…" she began softly. Just then she saw Capt. Kaiba rush into the ballroom and head straight for the orchestra pit. He whispered something to the maestro and the old man killed the music. Guards threw open the large doors at the opposite end of the ball room and poured into the room opening a direct path to the throne at the other end. Suddenly a pale yellow bear and a dark purple horse burst into the room and fired shafts of light from their bellies that turned into a shower of pink heart shaped bubbles and yellow daisies. Amelia was instantly on her feet as the care family began to sing…

_Flying my colors! So that everyone can see isn't this a perfect way to introduce me! To say that I'm different I'm special it's true! Let the magic of my colors put its power on you! The Funshine Bear: "With the sun on my tummy and a smile on my face I'm ready for a party any time any place…"_

Zel just smiled calmly with the Care babies still in his arms waving rainbow colored streamers as their elders sang introducing themselves and each other with their song. He marched right past all the so called princes and lords waiting around for their turn and headed straight for the throne where Amelia and the rest of his friends were waiting. He smirked in amusement at the shocked look on everyone's faces. He put the little ones down half way and let them run ahead to be hugged by an ecstatic Amelia. The guards were trying hard to keep a straight face as the "nobles" complained that he was cutting in line.

_Here's Cheer Bear! "You can call Cheer Bear any time your sad I'll put in the pink and make you feel real glad!" "My name's Grumpy Bear I'm always feeling blue if its not one thing it's another oh what am I to do?" ...Do you like me? I like you! I like you! Do you like me? I like you! I like you! Do you like me? I like you! I like you! Does any body like me? Everybody likes you!_

"Sorry I'm late! I hope you don't mind that I brought some friends!" Zel called to her casually as soon as she was within earshot. Amelia could feel her heart hammering in her chest. Zelgadis did not look angry and he'd even gone out of his way to rescue her from this horrible "party" by bringing her friends: the Care Bears and their Cousins! Calmly he walked up to the throne and bowed respectfully towards Phil who was laughing and waving cheerfully at him with the Care Babies already in his lap. Calmly he returned Lina's, Martina's, Zangalus' and Gourry's cheerful greetings as he approached behind the Care Family.

_Flying my colors! So that everyone can see isn't this a perfect way to introduce me! To say that I'm different I'm special it's true! Let the magic of my colors put its power on you! Let the magic of my colors put its power on **you**!_

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMELIA!" they all yelled cheerfully. Amelia was so happy she looked like she was ready to burst! True Heart fired another burst of her magic that turned into a shower of heart shaped bubbles and Noble Heart did the same and his magic turned into another sprinkle of soft yellow daisies.

"Happy Birthday Amelia!" Zel echoed smiling calmly as he came within arms reach of Amelia and the rest of his friends who had crowded around her. Amelia was so happy she was speechless! She threw her arms around him and Zel wrapped his arms around her gently.

"Thank you!" she whispered fervently. "I'm so glad you came!" she added softly her arms wrapping around him as tightly as she could.

"I wouldn't miss it for anything," Zel replied calmly and she smiled up at him. She released him to greet the care family who were already busy introducing themselves to Prince Philionel and the rest of Amelia's friends. He walked up to Gourry and Zangalus and taking a drink from the tray a maid offered him he amicably chatted with the guys while Amelia continued the "interviews" with a nice buffer of overly cheerful care bears and care cousins to keep the "suitors" at a distance that agreed with Zelgadis.

"Smooth Zelgadis…Very smooth…For a guy who likes to be inconspicuous you sure know how to make an entrance!" Zangalus chuckled softly as prince-ling after prince-ling failed to capture Amelia's attention as she sang and danced with the Care Family occasionally glancing his way. Zel would just smile and continue talking amicably with his friends. Lina came over for a moment to congratulate him for not getting all huffy and completely ruining Amelia's birthday. Zel just shrugged it off and stayed right where he was ignoring the glares from the other men in the room because he was exceeding the allotted time.

"Really Zel…That was a good idea to bring them!" Gourry enthused as he watched Amelia sing and dance along with the little critters. Again Zel just shrugged calmly.

"When Capt. Kaiba told me what was going on I knew I had to do something to help," he replied evenly but Brau and Golem were doing a little happy chant inside his head for Zel's absolute victory…

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Ok people be gentle now! This is a fairy tale and there are care bears involved! The word "Carealot" should've tipped you off that this was gonna be more cheesy than a double whopper! More fairy tale and sci-fi madness to come!

Thanks for reading and reviewing!


	4. Interlude

**Magic of Care-a-lot Part Two**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own: Slayers, Care Bears, Little House on the Prairie, Yugioh, Dragon Quest VIII, etc… on goes the "Where's Waldo?" game of crossovers I always play with my stories! Seriously…no harm intended.

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**Interlude: Distraction…**

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Xelloss found himself alone and quite inexplicably inside a small boat that seemed to propel itself thru a dark tunnel without the benefit of oars or magic…

"I wonder how I got here?" he asked to the empty room. The darkness of the room didn't really bother him but he was curious as to what awaited him inside. A skull and crossbones flag hung above the entrance he was slowly sailing to and as he passed it an eerie voice droned: _Dead men tell no tales! _

Xelloss sat up excitedly with a big happy smile on his face. He could tell that whatever was inside was meant to scare humans which meant he was definitely going to like it. Slowly a song began to play and Xelloss was plunged into a scene of watery destruction as a ship with black sails attacked a small fort that seemed to be vastly outgunned. A seeminglyout of place cheerful song began to play…

_Yo-ho! Yo-ho! A pirate's life for me!..._

"Oh this is fun!" Xelloss enthused as he passed through the water battle into a scene where some poor sap had been impaled to a wall and his decomposed body hung amidst piles of gold and melee weapons. He clapped in amusement as he passed another scene where a group of what he now knew to be pirates were torturing the local authority figure. He laughed in childlike wonder as a group of females were lined up to be sold as slaves. By the time he passed a drunken unconscious pirate sleeping in a pig pen by the shore he was happily singing along…

_Drink up me hearties Yo-ho! Yo-ho! Yo-ho! A pirate's life for me!_

As he reached the end he clapped enthusiastically as he passed a cave filled with riches where two pirates had killed each other for the loot. He sighed despondently as he saw the light at the end. He wished his mistress had been able to see it. Then just like that Zelas materialized next to him…

"Xelloss!" she exclaimed surprised to be there. He smiled…

"Oh! This is fun mistress! I think the Great Guardian is doing this though!" he said smiling as he could hear the song starting all over again.

"You mean the Lord of Nightmares…" Zelas replied eyeing the tunnel ahead with suspicion. The Lord of Nightmares' current servant was as powerful as Shabranigdo but had a horribly twisted sense of humor. Xelloss sang along as the two of them were carried into the mazoku-friendly mayhem…

* * *

"I hate it when they call me that…" said a disembodied voice inside Victoria's Base. The Great Guardian and the Lord of Nightmares were two completely different beings but because the beings of that world didn't have a complete comprehension of the universe's inner workings and the higher levels of command contained within it they often mistook one for the other.

"Oh like I love to be compared to Shabranigdo!" she retorted. The Great Guardian was in fact the creator of all things in all of existence. It was both creator and destroyer. From it had come both the Dragon Gods as well as the Demon Lords like Shabranigdo and even the Lord of Nightmares and Dark Star and on the list goesbut because children are sometimes selfish and arrogant in their youth they never mentioned their mother. Instead they adopted the ones that gave them what they wanted! Such gratitude!

"Don't worry I have something _special_ planned for them later!" Victoria grinned wickedly. Yes she was old and powerful but she was by no means anything like Shabranigdo or any of his pieces! She was a completely different beast all together. Apples and Oranges people! They just thought she was powerful because no one could kill or injure her without the Great Guardian's permission. Her master however was reluctant to break in a new semi-mortal servant since her current was so efficient and thus bestowed on her endless invincibility!

"Well as long as they don't interfere with our plans…" the Guardian rumbled.

"Yes they do love to meddle don't they!" she laughed "especially when it comes to Lina and company!"

"Don't worry I've got it covered!" Victoria reassured her master as she switched her screen away from the amusement ride where she had trapped Zelas and her pet Xelloss in the Pirates' adventure story. She stopped to program the holodeck's computer to cycle them once more through there then send them to her "special" place!

"They're right about me having a twisted sense of humor though!" she laughed as she sat back and watched Zelgadis hurry into his bedroom and pick up the first of the presents he'd created for Amelia and scribble a little note as he rushed back out.

"Not much into wrapping is he?" she commented as he picked up a silver handkerchief and wrapped two deceptively delicate bangles in it. Bangles created in a temple in Galbadia where weapons and artifacts of great power could be created by sorceresses using rare and powerful ores. These were created by Zelgadis using the last remnants of some very powerful ores and crystals that Victoria had strategically placed in a forgotten treasure room that after some modification Victoria made it seem it had belonged to Rezo then carefully lead Zelgadis to it.

"I suppose it will suffice," she sighed. She had to go back in time and con Presea (the priestess who created the temple centuries ago) into altering the magic of the temple so Zel could have his moment in the spot light. Hopefully he would deliver and they could finally create balance on that world. The pieces were finally coming together…

* * *

I know it really doesn't make sense yet…It's like the pieces of a puzzle really! Albeit one rather odd puzzle but bare with me a little longer it will all make some semblance of sense at the end…

…and you shall be scarred for life! evil laughter

Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Now on the with the next episode!


	5. The Princess' choice

**Attack of the Magic of Care-a-lot**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own: Slayers, Care Bears, Little House on the Prairie, Yugioh, Dragon Quest VIII, Rayearth, FF8, Castle in the Sky etc… on goes the "Where's Waldo?" game of crossovers I always play with my stories! Seriously…no harm intended.

**Warning: **Because of the excessive amount of "cheese" in this story those with any severe lactose intolerance or fear of severe brain damage and permanent mental scars please read no further! Otherwise, if your up for some cheap laughs and don't mind the mental scars by all means please continue! And don't forget to review! Just remember: you have been warned!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

* * *

**Episode 3: The Princess' choice…**

Amelia was so happy that had any one asked her she would've said she'd never had a better party than this one. Zelgadis had come charging in (sort of!) all dressed up like a prince from her very own fairy tale and saved the day! Justice conquers all! She almost forgot about all the stupid losers at her ball taking advantage of some ancient law and her goodwill.

She cast a quick glance to see what he was doing every now and then but he seemed to be enjoying himself talking to Mr. Zangulus and Mr. Gourry. The losers continued to make their bids for her attentions but she no longer paid them any real attention. She did make a fair show of being polite though. As happy as she was however the thought entered her mind that she really ought to do something about sending these guys away. Most of them had _definitely_ worn out their welcome!

The maestro finally announced the last number and with its end would be the end of the ball. Amelia almost sighed with relief she was glad this ball would be over. This would mark the first day of her birthday celebrations and she was sad that on such an important year those vultures had nearly ruined her party. She was grateful Zelgadis had gone to such lengths to save it! Of course not all of them had been horrendous…

Some had merely used the law as an excuse to get away from their duties and travel on their own as had been the case with Lord Dincht from the Islands of Balamb. He had a serious crush on Sylphiel and had spent the past couple of days asking her when Sylphiel would be arriving. Sylphiel was due to arrive tomorrow with Filia and little Val. He was a fun sort of guy and he assured her that her kingdom and his would continue to have good relations no matter what. He just came for the party and to see Sylphiel.

The suitors had lined up expectantly waiting for her to decide which one of them would have the last dance of the evening. Her first instinct was to choose Zelgadis she hadn't been able to talk to him all evening. She really wanted to spend some time with him since he'd been gone for nearly six months this time. She cast a glance towards him but he wasn't looking her way anymore. He was talking with Capt. Kaiba now because Zangalus and Gourry were on the dance floor with their wives. She shook the thought off! To use Zelgadis as a shield to fend off the unwanted suitors was completely unjust!

Her father came to her rescue however and declared the last dance to be his. She smiled gratefully up at him and danced the last waltz with him. Finally the music ended and everyone was ushered out. Amelia and her father were ushered away first by her guards so she wouldn't have to deal with saying goodbye to the parade of losers. She cast a regretful glance at the Care Family as they cheerfully waved goodbye. Zelgadis wasn't looking again he was on one knee talking quietly with Noble Heart.

"Perhaps he's arranging to take them home…I won't get to say goodbye…" she whispered sadly to herself. Her father put a comforting arm around his daughter. He opened his mouth to say something but her captain beat him to it.

"Lord Greywords is looking out for you your highness make no mistake about that!" Capt. Kaiba intoned seriously. She watched him as his usually stoic continence was changed by a slightly triumphant smirk. Amelia and her father exchanged confused glances and just shrugged. Once she returned to her quarters she understood what the captain meant. Gathered in her sitting room was the entire Care Family!

'They must've taken the service routes!' she thought happily as she squealed in delight at seeing her friends there too. The service routes were the ones she usually preferred for getting around the palace because they were shorter and required less protocol when moving through them. There weren't any politicians or the usual assortment of brown-nosers trying to ambush you at every corner.

"Oh I'm so glad you haven't left yet!" Amelia enthused as she took in the sight of the Care Family and all her friends spread about in her private sitting room. With a tiny triumphant smirk and nod to Zel Capt Kaiba turned to his royal charges and finally excused him self for the evening. Amelia sat on the floor with Baby Hugs and Baby Tugs as they played with Martina and her little toddlers and some wooden blocks not caring at all that she was wrinkling her beautiful ball gown.

Lina chatted with Noble Heart, Tender Heart and True Heart and Gourry was surrounded by most of the little care family as he played a strange version of arm wrestling with Lots-a-Heart Elephant and Zangalus just laughed as he watched Gourry struggle. Zel watched everything calmly from a distance in his usual little dark corner. Grumpy Bear sat at the sill on the window near Zelgadis and sighed heavily. Zel just smiled and didn't say anything watching as Phil joined Amelia on the ground with the little ones.

"You know the longer you wait to tell her… the harder it will be," Grumpy Bear grumbled in his usual annoyed tone. Zel turned to him with a confused look on his face. He opened his mouth to respond but Grumpy Bear just sighed and continued.

"I mean sharing your feelings for her! The longer you wait the less likely that she will believe you!" he continued starting to sound exasperated.

Zel smirked 'perceptive little bugger isn't he!' Brau commented as Golem rumbled his agreement.

"How so?" Zel baited wanting to hear how much about his feelings the Care Family was aware of. Grumpy rolled his eyes.

"Amelia was surrounded by some very dishonest people tonight Zelgadis if you continue to hide how you feel you'll be just like them too," he grumbled softly. Zel blinked hard surprised by how _aware_ Grumpy was. The Care Family always seemed so naïve that he constantly underestimated their ability for insightful observation.

He had thought of talking to Amelia after the celebrations once they were on the road but with all these vultures circling he had to admit he'd already thought of moving his plans up somewhat. He'd stopped by his room to scribble a very short note and pick up a small package before she got here that now lay hidden in his pocket. The problem would be how to get these items to her without the others noticing.

"I think you're right Grumpy Bear but under these circumstances getting to talk to her in private might be a little difficult…" he replied with a frown then noticed the little smirk that appeared on Grumpy's usually unhappy face.

"Do you have any ideas Grumpy Bear?" he asked slyly wondering what the little Care Family had in mind. He cast a quick glance at Noble Heart and True Heart. They smiled and winked at him and Lina give him a subtle "thumbs up". He tensed…

'Oh no! Lina's getting into the matchmaking business I think we're in trouble!' Brau commented nervously.

'Zel stop her!' Golem added urgently. Zel cast a quick glance at Amelia and Phil but they were unaware of the little exchange as they played with the little ones.

"Don't worry Zelgadis…Helping people share their feelings is what we do best!" Grumpy Bear replied proudly. Zel relaxed just a little.

'Well he's right…that is their specialty after all…' Brau admitted reluctantly though it didn't stop Zelgadis from worrying that Lina would do something "rash". Zel was about to reply when True Heart got up and announced that it was time for them to go back to Carealot. Seeing the frown on Amelia's face Zel stepped up to the rescue again.

"Would you be able to return for the street festival? If so I can pick you up then," Zel suggested. The street festival was the party the people of Saillune threw for Amelia's birthday one week before her actual birthday. It was her favorite celebration! Entertainers and merchants from all over would gather in the capital and they would hold a week long fair culminating with a big bash on Amelia's birthday. It was sure to be extra big this year due to Amelia's impending coronation! Amelia's face immediately lit up again with joy.

"That sounds like fun Zelgadis!" True Heart agreed and all the Care family enthusiastically accepted the invite! Amelia cheered and said her goodbyes with much more enthusiasm now that she knew the Care family would return soon. They all gathered out in the large balcony outside Amelia's room. Amelia stood facing Zelgadis and the Care Family arrayed behind him. Not wanting Zelgadis to leave without expressing some form of gratitude to him Amelia stepped forward and again threw her arms around him. He wrapped his arms around her mindful to keep his arms at the level with her shoulders and his hands visible. Phil _was_ watching after all.

"Thank you so much for all your help Mr. Zelgadis!" she whispered in a slightly dreamy tone that sent a thrill up Zel's spine. He smiled.

"Sure Amelia! Any time!" he replied casually as he released her he slid his hand down her arm and he pressed the little note discreetly into her palm as he squeezed her hand lightly. He almost smirked as he saw a tiny little blush working its way onto Amelia's cheeks as he stepped back and took hold of True Heart and Noble Heart's hands. Holding on to each other as they had when Zelgadis first brought them there they all disappeared in a swirl of silver magic.

* * *

There was something about passing hidden notes that was simply thrilling! She pondered this as she gripped the tiny piece of parchment for dear life. She desperately wanted to run off into her bedroom lock the door and read it but that would give her away. That tiny secret piece of paper in her hand was almost enough to make up for her disappointment in not being able to talk to him once more.

"Ok party's over!" Lina called out. Gourry wrapped an arm around her shoulders and lead her towards the door.

"Why don't you guys come and have breakfast with me here in the morning?" Amelia invited amicably. The thought of having one more meal with those loser prince-lings was enough to ruin her appetite. Now that Zelgadis was here she had no desire to continue with that farce. Martina and Zangalus collected their little ones and agreed to come over for breakfast. Lina and Gourry of course enthusiastically promised they would be here.

They'd all been disappointed that they hadn't been able to sit down and have a friendly informal private meal with Amelia. She'd been stuck having to play hostess this past week. Amelia sighed as her friends filed out the door and the room was quiet. She walked back out into the balcony with her father right behind her. She stared at the folded piece of parchment in her hand.

"You know when a boy passes you a little note you're supposed to read it," Phil pointed out unable to hide the amusement in his voice. Amelia blushed a bright red and fisted the note back into her hand.

"I suppose you _should_ wait until I'm gone though!" he added and laughed in that loud boisterous way that Phil was famous for! Amelia giggled but her mirth ended quickly a frown replaced her usual good cheer.

"Daddy…I thought it was a good idea…" she suddenly commented softly. Amelia as the crown princess could've easily challenged the law and over turned Charmles' request but she had allowed it because she felt sorry for his father who was an old friend of Daddy's. The old man was understanding and just requested that she let him down easy. The benefit of having Argonia as a continued ally and goodwill neighbor would be in Saillune's best interest in the end so what he asked for was small in comparison.

When the other countries put in similar requests she thought it a good idea to play along for a while and make friends with countries Saillune had not had a chance to interact with before. She had not counted on the fact that they were all a bunch of greedy idiots out only to see what they could take from her they didn't even seem to care about their own countries!

No matter how honest she'd been with her intentions or how hard she had tried to steer conversations into the arena of international politics they always ignored her and went straight to talking about themselves and what they wanted for themselves! They didn't care about making advantageous political ties; they didn't care about her and they certainly did _not_ care about her kingdom. Phil put a comforting arm around his petit daughter.

"It is a good idea you just have the wrong people here. Don't give up on it!" Phil advised however it did not restore his daughter's smile. So he tried a different approach.

"Take for example Prince Pavan from Ascantha! He was very excited about your idea of a League of Nations! He has been actively lobbying the idea among any who would listen and he's made some progress as I hear it," he intoned proudly. Now this did restore Amelia's cheer somewhat. Pavan was notoriously shy and he'd ventured out of his kingdom only because everyone else was doing the same. That he'd come out of his shell in the interest of his somewhat politically isolated country was heartening.

Still, for that one success there were so many more failures. Many had completely dismissed Amelia's political aspirations and had even proclaimed themselves to be in top contention for Amelia's hand. They couldn't be more wrong. Despite her continued efforts to diplomatically end their pitiful attempts at "wooing" her they continued to come. If it hadn't been for the constant presence of Capt. Kaiba and his men several of them – especially Prince Gaston – would've certainly tried something inappropriate by know.

"What will I do now? How do I get rid of them?" she sighed heavily. She leaned against his chest. It wasn't that she wasn't ready for the whole commitment thing. She definitely felt like it was time. She wanted to step into her role as Queen. She wanted to do something that would have a long term impact on the continued prosperity of her people. She also wanted to settle down and start her own family. She knew what she wanted and she was ready for it. But this "failure" had put a halt on her well laid plans and diminished her confidence.

"Here's some fatherly advice," he began and she looked up expectantly.

"Trust your instincts Amelia. Choose with your heart…Someone who is good to you will be good to everything that you care about and will support you in everything that you do," he lectured patiently.

"This is just one minor setback don't lose hope!" he added wistfully. She smiled at him grateful for the pep talk and hugged him tight.

"With that said you should know that as a father I must tell you that I approve of Zelgadis!" he laughed as she blushed deeply again.

"But Daddy I don't know if he…" she began with uncharacteristic shyness.

"Now is a good time for you to read your note!" he declared cutting her off not without a hint of amusement in his voice. She blushed but did as she was told. She carefully read and re-read the note:

_Amelia:_

_I'm sorry I was away for so long but I had a good reason. My mission took longer then I expected and if you would please meet me out in your balcony before midnight tonight I will explain. I will try my best to make it up to you I promise. I'm sorry…I wish I'd gotten back sooner… Zelgadis._

Amelia blushed again and Phil just laughed. Since there wasn't anything compromising in the note she showed it to her father. He smiled gave her a kiss in the forehead and wished her good night. He said he would send her handmaidens up to keep her company until Zel showed up. Amelia giggled she knew that this was just Daddy's attempt at keeping an eye on her. It's very likely that Anzu, Mai and Yuffie her handmaidens/bodyguards would be instructed to report to him everything they heard and saw first thing in the morning.

'It doesn't matter…' she thought dreamily. She sat on a couch out in the balcony. It wouldn't be long now until midnight. Her handmaidens arrived and brought her schedule with them. They gathered around Amelia and discussed ways to rid themselves of the worst of Amelia's so-called suitors and how to fit the most "creative" of those ideas into her schedule. Amelia diverted all her attention to the conversation trying hard not to think to much about her last "date" of the evening.

* * *

Zelgadis nearly collapsed from exhaustion as soon as they arrived at Carealot. He'd been traveling for three days straight not willing to stop and rest because he knew he'd be late for Amelia's first birthday ball. It was an event he'd never missed before and couldn't start now. He'd missed the New Year's celebration because he was stuck in a deep trance in the Creation Temple in Galbadia creating Amelia's magical gifts.

In his haste to return to Saillune he'd barely eaten and not slept much either. He had thought the brief break he took admiring the scenery on his way towards Orange Grove where the Ingalls live had been enough to restore him. He'd also thought that catching a ride on Cid's wagon and his lunch on the go with the old man had been enough to replenish him but he had been wrong on all counts.

"Zelgadis! Are you ok?" Tender Heart asked obviously very concerned. Zelgadis just nodded. The breakneck pace of his journey, all the magical energy he expended in the teleportation spells coupled with the fact that he didn't give himself the full amount of time required to recuperate from the creation trance was finally catching up to him. He berated himself for not eating anything at the ball. In retrospect it was stupid to allow his anger to cloud his judgment now he was paying the price.

"Here eat this!" said Bright Heart Raccoon as he handed Zel a bright red apple with pink frosting. Zel looked at it dubiously. True Heart laughed.

"It will restore your strength Zelgadis!" she explained.

'Why must it pink?' grumbled Golem Brau just chuckled slightly. Zel took the offered fruit and bit into it. No sooner had he bitten into it that he immediately felt a surge of power. It took two more of the sweet frosted apples though to make him feel like himself again and as soon as he felt better he expressed his gratitude and said his goodbye to the Care Family and teleported back home. True Heart in mother hen fashion however insisted he take two more with him just in case!

"Goodbye Zelgadis! Don't forget to open your heart!" Noble Heart advised as he disappeared in a swirl of silver light. They all turned to look up at the Caring meter and gave a big cheer as they realized it was back to its highest position…

* * *

In a swirl of silver light Zelgadis appeared at Amelia's balcony well before midnight. Amelia was seated with her handmaidens on the other side of her balcony. They were giggling and talking softly like normal girls and even stopped and exchanged conspiratorial glances like regular girls would but Zelgadis knew better than to think of any of them as "normal". To not take these females seriously was a mistake you made at your own peril!

Mai was an expert swordswoman and while she couldn't beat Gourry or Zangalus yet he knew it was only matter of time. Yuffie reminded him of Aoshi's wife Misao. She was very quick and just as deadly. Give her a few shadows and she would disappear! Then there was Anzu though the most graceful and poised of all the handmaidens and seemingly the most harmless she was an expert at black magic. Not quite at Lina's level yet but she _could_ cast a Dragon Slave just as well as Lina or Sylphiel! It was her ace in the hole which Zelgadis suspected she had somehow conned Sylphiel into teaching it to her. The girl had been a rare find.

"Good Evening Lord Greywords!" the three girls said as one. He nodded politely and replied in his usual stoic demeanor. They got up from their chairs around the princess' couch and moved them away.

"We'll be inside if you need us milady!" Anzu curtsied towards Amelia as they excused themselves and went back inside Amelia's sitting room to spy on them. They had orders after all to report to Prince Phil everything that happened tonight! Amelia got up and again she greeted him with a hug.

'Is it just me…or does it seem like our princess is a little more touchy feely than usual?' inquired Brau. Zel didn't bother to answer that! He knew where the Brau was headed with that comment! Golem quieted Brau for him.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here for New Year's…" he began softly.

"Oh it's ok! I got your letter and one from Rinoa and Squall in Galbadia saying you were in the creation temple," she reassured him cheerfully.

"I thought only women could make anything in Galbadia's Temple though?" she asked truly mystified as to how he had managed that.

"Well, the temple's magic makes exception to non-humans as long as they're not creating weapons since I'm a chimera and I wasn't making weapons I sort of qualified…" he began. He explained that after he left at the end of Saillune's harvest festival he followed some leads to a place where he could find a rare ore called Escudo. That coupled with the Eternium he'd found in Rezo's treasure vault he'd gone to Galbadia to create Amelia's birthday gifts.

The Galbadian Temple was an ancient building whose true purpose had been forgotten until about three years ago when Amelia's old friend Princess Rinoa stumbled upon it's secrets and created an awesome sword for her beau Squall out of adamantine ore and pulse ammo. However the creation of artifacts in the temple was dangerous as it borrowed your life force in order to create anything.

In addition the combining of a powerful and rare magical ore like Escudo with a supercharged crystal like Eternium was potentially devastating. One small Eternium crystal could deliver a blow akin to a Dragon Slave in the wrong hands! That he had ventured to combine both into one artifact was recklessly dangerous to say the least. Amelia was horrified by the thought that Zelgadis had put himself in such peril just to make her birthday present extra special. Her eyes went wide when he explained that he hadn't made just one artifact…he made **_three_**!

He produced a small bundle wrapped in a silver handkerchief and presented the first of said gifts. She took it completely at a loss for words and un-wrapped it. She sucked in her breath. Inside the package were two delicate silver bangles with small crystal charms hanging on them. Immediately she put them on completely speechless at the extravagance of Zelgadis' gift. He uttered a spell so the bangles would adjust to the size of her wrist and explained they would work as magic enhancers but to be careful as the combo intensified her magic by at least 200 and he hadn't been able to test it. She just nodded and stared at the little bracelets. Finally she smiled and again she found she could do nothing else but hug him.

"You didn't have to do this!" she sighed dreamily unwilling to let go. Zel was well aware that her handmaidens were still watching from somewhere in her room so he shifted slightly to not block their view. He didn't want them to report unfavorably to her father after all!

"Your father said your 21st birthday would be a major milestone. I wanted to be sure my gift would reflect that," he replied casually. She mumbled a soft "thank you" but did not release him. He took a deep breath and allowed himself to relax. He explained that he really hadn't been reckless about it at all. He had been doing research on the temple and it's magic since they first found out about it three years ago. She listened intently as he related how he'd found Rezo's treasure vault and what he'd found in it and promised to take her there soon. She instantly agreed…

"I wanted to make sure I went through everything and took my share before I let Lina any where near it!" he added with a rueful smirk.

"Yea! I don't think she would've left you much!" she laughed. She pulled back a little and her expression turned serious.

"Still…It was dangerous. I want you to know that what really makes this gift special is how much of your heart you put into it! Thank you! I'll cherish it always!" she smiled again and reached up to put a light kiss on his cheek. He smiled at her… _That_ was something she'd never done before. He waited for the inevitable teasing that was sure to come from Brau. It never came…

'Zel…I think you have to tell her about us…' Brau said seriously. He agreed before he went any further he had to explain the new development of his chimera condition. He had to know how Amelia would take it. He'd already decided that he couldn't stop being who he was. He was Zelgadis the chimera for better or worse and to give up all that he'd gained just to please someone else would make him unhappy in the long run. He needed her to understand and he – _they_ – fervently hoped she would. If anyone in the world could understand it had to be her!

"Amelia, there is something I have to tell you…" he began in the deeply serious tone that was Zelgadis' trade mark. She looked up at him and frowned in concern. So he began by going back to the day he got zapped by Dark Heart…

* * *

**_Recap time people!_**

Four years ago in a battle against a disembodied being called Dark Heart Zelgadis was hit by a blast of evil energy and his mind was sent to a dark realm. In it Zelgadis experienced his worst nightmare: to be completely bereft of his powers and watch his friends die because he had **_no_** powers to help them! No, he couldn't even hold his sword anymore. For more details see: "Magic of Carealot"…

He realized then that his quest to rid himself of his chimera form was somewhat hypocritical since he gets all kinds of jollies out of having the upper hand in just about every magic and sword battle he's thrust into. He decides rather than leave the other two parts of himself trapped in Dark Heart's shadow realm he would rather keep his chimera being and remain the kick butt bad ass dude he has been since Rezo gave him this "gift".

However, with his final psychological acceptance of his chimera self came the ability to communicate with the spiritual remnants of the other two beings used to create his body as well as a whole host of new power enhancing abilities that had as yet been untapped due to his initial resistance to Rezo's spell.

And that people is why Zel can hear voices in his head!

Just in case you were wondering…

**_Ok! Recap end!_**

* * *

****

"Amelia, I can't stop being who or what I am… I couldn't live with myself if I gave up the power to protect the few people in my life that have become important to me! I hope you'll understand…" he concluded passionately watching her calm expression intently. For once he could not read her. She listened quietly and intently and after a moment that seemed eternal she smiled and again she wrapped her arms around him.

"Zelgadis, you should know by now that I accept you – all of you! – just as you are! I don't want you to change… Ever!" she replied sincerely her arms tightened around him in reassurance. He finally allowed himself to relax as Brau and Golem chanted happily inside his head.

"You didn't call me "Mr."…_finally_!" he replied in a light teasing tone. She giggled and agreed not to use the formality anymore. Her faced turned serious again.

"Zelgadis, every year you go out of your way to do something special for my birthday. Like what you did tonight at the ball… I appreciate what you do but you do know that you don't have to do it right! You know that I'm just happy that you're here right!" Amelia fired out her concerns at lighting speed her pretty face marred by it. Zel just smirked…

"I know…" he replied simply with a casual shrug. He noted his "companions" were suddenly very quiet again.

"So then why do you do it Zelgadis? Making these bracelets and whatever else you made…It was dangerous and you know it! You don't have to risk your life just to make my birthday special! I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you! Especially not on my account!" she lectured though to Zel she managed to look cute even though she was angry.

"Don't be mad Amelia! I made them because I just want to know you are safe no matter where you are! Especially when I'm not around! That's all!" Zel reassured her. She pulled back from him and regarded him with an unusually calm expression.

"You wouldn't have done it for Lina or Gourry or any of our friends… so…why for me?" she asked her face became unreadable again. She felt annoyed suddenly that he would go to such lengths to protect her. Had he no confidence in her ability to take care of herself? However to accuse him without any proof or the chance to explain himself would be unjust!

'Point of no return Zel' Golem commented seriously.

'Don't lie to her Zel and don't tell her something lame like _'because you're my friend'_ either' Brau warned sternly. He sighed he knew that left him very few choices. He took a deep breath and looking her straight in the eyesand pulling onevery ounce of sincerity in his heart he made the final leap…

"Because I love you Amelia…"

**CRASH! **

All coherent thought processes came to a screeching halt inside Amelia's head…

* * *

Tan, tan, taaaannnn!

Oh yeah! Much cheese and nonsense! You gotta love fairy tales! You can put whatever the heck you want in them and its ok…

Why?

...because it's a fairytale that's why! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Vensert: The fact that the title includes the word "Carealot" should've been your first warning that the "what the f-k?" quotient would be quite high! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Anyway I hope ya'll are enjoying! Thanks for reading and reviewing.


	6. Interlude again!

**Magic of Care-a-lot Part Two**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own: Slayers, Care Bears, Little House on the Prairie, Yugioh, Dragon Quest VIII, etc… on goes the "Where's Waldo?" game of crossovers I always play with my stories! Seriously…no harm intended.

* * *

**Interlude again: More Distraction…**

* * *

As they passed a town that was being burned to the ground by undead pirates Zelas finally allowed her self to relax. The Great guardian had trapped them here for some purpose as yet to be revealed but there were worst ways to be a prisoner. Xelloss continued to sing that little song occasionally stopping to comment on some little happy atrocity. He didn't seem worried that they could not teleport away from this place.

"Xelloss, have you tried again," she intoned seriously as the ride approached the end.

"Yes mistress! But the Great Guardian is blocking me every time! The last time I tried he stung me!" he replied still full of good cheer from all the madness and chaos they'd just passed through. Zelas sighed she figured the big guy was probably planning something big on her world and didn't want Demon Lords like her getting in the way. It's likely the others were in similar prisons. She was about to open her mouth and say so when the boat suddenly lurched forward and plunged into the most horrifying scene a mazoku could possibly witness!

_It's a world of laughter a world of tears! It's a world of joy and a world of fears! There's so much that we share that it's time we're aware it's a small world after all!_

Out of sheer instinct Xelloss and Zelas rose from their seats and began blasting away with their immense powers. Every where little cherubic dolls with their angelic faces and bright colorful outfits were blasted to pieces in the spots where they merrily sang and danced but for every singing, dancing doll they blasted away ten more would take it's place! The sound of their magical blasts and their horrified screams were drowned out by the music that rose in volume the louder they screamed and the more noise their magic made!

_It's a small world after all! It's a small world after all! It's a small world after all! It's a small, small world!_

The boat came to a halt and Zelas tried in vain to make it move again but it would not budge! Xelloss continued to blast away the cheerful dancing dolls but it was no use! He finally collapsed in exhaustion on the boat, closed his eyes and putting his hands to his ears he tried to block out the pain!

_It's a small world after all! It's a small world after all! It's a small world after all! It's a small, small world!_

Zelas kept at it for a while longer but eventually collapsed on top of Xelloss and closing her eyes then putting her arms around him she tried in vain to block out the sounds! Soon enough the boat began to move again. The volume of the music lowered as they continued through the tunnel. They didn't dare open their eyes but the same little ditty continued to play over and over again and shut out its dreadful sound they could not!

_It's a small world after all! It's a small world after all! It's a small world after all! It's a small, small world! It's a small world after all! It's a small world after all! It's a small world after all! It's a small, small world!_

The music slowly receded and again they found themselves in a more comfortable dark cold place. The skull and crossbones figurine droned out its mazoku welcome greeting: _Dead men tell no tales!_

Xelloss and Zelas slowly looked up and found themselves again in Isla De Muerta watching Capt. Barbossa and his undead pirate horde pile treasure in their secret moonlit cave. Soon enough they were amidst more pirate frolicking and their more mazoku friendly song began to play:

_Drink up me hearties Yo-ho! Yo-ho! Yo-ho! A pirate's life for me!_

"Is it over?" Xelloss whispered fearfully as the chaos the undead pirates caused began to re-invigorate him.

"For now…" Zelas replied ominously…

* * *

Victoria laughed her head off as she watched Xelloss and Zelas in their predicament. She now lay on her couch in the living room watching the entire goings on from a wall to wall screen controlled by a custom built remote. She adjusted her screen so that it would show all the holodecks on the corners and the situation in Saillune in the center then she checked to make sure her other prisoners were enjoying their accommodations just as much as Xelloss and his master. Judging by their screaming and blasting they were having just as much fun!

"You really do have a sick sense of humor!" her master laughed. He had taken one of his humanoid forms and now and sat on the couch with Victoria's long bare legs comfortably resting on his thighs.

"Yea…Speaking of which…What's with the flannel?" she asked remarking on her master's current choice of look. He had chosen a checkered flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up, jeans, a pair of glasses, a bushy grey beard and bushy grey curly hair added to that he chose a more paunchy couch potato body. This was an unusual choice for her master. He usually went for the Fabio look complete with bare chest and flowing hair. She had never liked those and constantly teased him about them.

"Thought I'd try something new!" he remarked casually. She giggled…

"Going for the geeky couch potato look? What are you going to call this form?" she asked teasingly as she picked up a handheld device from the side table to tap a few commands in it that adjusted the size of the couch so he could curl up next to her.

"I think I'll call it: George!" he replied cheerfully as he pulled her against his chest. She laughed and allowed herself to be pulled in with her back to his chest.

"I like it! It's squishier!" she laughed and they settled in to watch Zelgadis arrive at Amelia's balcony. They oohed as Zelgadis "dropped the bomb" so to speak on Amelia about his feelings. Victoria rolled her eyes…

"What are you doing silly girl! Open your mouth and say something?" she complained. Amelia just sat there dumbfounded and it annoyed Victoria to no end.

"Yea…Zel's gonna lose it soon if she doesn't do something!" George commented seriously.

"Yea! He'll go into chuck mode and there goes all my hard work!" she agreed annoyed. Zel was doing a good job of keeping it together despite her nerve wracking silence but he was going to break soon. She was an expert on broody boys like Zelgadis and she knew you only get one shot at getting them to open up! If Amelia blew this chance the damage control required would be tedious and long! A mission that would be nearly impossible!

"Hang in there Zel!" she cheered hoping something would zap Amelia into action soon…

* * *

Ok, what is chuck mode?

Chuck Mode: is the depressed state Charlie Brown is always in because he is always expecting the worst with good reason! Broody boys are often in chuck mode because they always think that the world is out to get them and that it's always going to turn out bad. No happy endings for Charlie Brown! Poor Charlie!

"I got a rock…" – Charlie Brown in "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown!"

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Ok on with the show!


	7. Amelia and Zelgadis

**_M.C. II!_**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own: Slayers, Care Bears, Little House on the Prairie, Yugioh, Dragon Quest VIII, Rayearth, FF8, Castle in the Sky etc… on goes the "Where's Waldo?" game of crossovers I always play with my stories! Seriously…no harm intended.

* * *

**Episode 4: Amelia and Zel... _finally!_**

Amelia sat there with her face frozen in a look of shock. This was not the reaction Zelgadis had hoped for!

'Oh no! Zel quick! Damage control!' Brau urged. Zel immediately set himself to it.

"Amelia, I want you to know that I don't expect you to say or do anything about it! These are just my feelings and I don't want you to feel obligated in any way to respond to them," he intoned in his steadfast ultra serious voice but Amelia continued to stare in shock and confusion.

'I'm gonna miss Saillune…especially in the spring…' Golem sighed sadly.

'Quiet! Let him concentrate!' Brau hissed in anger feeling also at the brink of despair at Amelia's lack of response.

"Of course in retrospect that probably wasn't the best choice of words but you asked me a question and after all you'd been through tonight I thought you deserved an honest answer from someone who is and I hope will continue to be your friend," Zel added but his nerves were starting to fray and he was definitely going to lose it soon if she didn't say something!

"Amelia…" he intoned seriously but at her continued non-response he turned away. As he tried to steady his racing mind he began to contemplate leaving all together and not returning for a VERY long time…

* * *

It was a miracle! He said it! She could hardly believe it!

_**I love you…**_

Those three words continued to reverberate inside her head and she could hardly hear anything else! She never would've imagined it would be so easy! That all she had to do was ask! It was a miracle!

'Truth, justice and _love_ conquer all!' her mind screamed.

These were the silly thoughts rattling around in her head. But then she wondered why did he look angry? Love is beautiful! Love is a miracle she was thinking at that moment but still couldn't fathom why he would be angry. Slowly the words he'd been saying immediately afterwards registered in her mind.

'Of course he's angry! He tells me that he loves me and I just sit here like a big dummy just staring at him!' she berated herself and did the only thing she could think of to correct the situation…

* * *

From inside Amelia's sitting room the three little handmaidens watched and listened to the conversation through a magical device Anzu had created and Yuffie had stashed behind a cushion…

"Oh crap! He took the plunge!" Yuffie whispered in awe as her co-workers oohed and aahed at Zel's boldness. But as they realized their princess was doing nothing about it their smiles turned into frowns. They peaked into the balcony.

"Arrgh! What is she doing!" Mai growled annoyed.

"She's gonna lose him if she doesn't snap out of it!" Anzu complained as Yuffie muttered her own agreement. But as they watched their princess seemed to finally get a clue and snapped out of her shock. She threw herself towards Zelgadis and for once landed where she had intended to! With her arms wrapped around Zel's neck she took the word "Glomp" to new levels! Zelgadis wasted no time at all in reciprocating their princess' enthusiasm.

"Atta girl!" Mai congratulated quietly and she smiled as Zel held on tight to his princess. She motioned for the others to move back.

"That's better!" Anzu cheered as they snuck back deeper into Amelia's sitting room to give the new couple more privacy. A short rap on the door made Anzu hurry to it to keep the late-night intruder from disrupting the love scene on the balcony.

"Oh it's just you," Anzu announced dryly as Capt. Kaiba sauntered in. He glared at her.

"Is Lord Greywords still here?" he demanded. Mai gestured towards the balcony.

"He's with the princess and if you interrupt him now it's the last thing you'll ever do!" she teased. Yuffie laughed and jumped in to the banter.

"Here lies Capt. Kaiba! Who…despite being smart and handsome… was dumb enough to interrupt Lord Greywords' make-out session with the Princess," Yuffie joked as the girls laughed. Seto rolled his eyes but let them slide. If Lord Greywords was the one the Princess chose for their king then he could relax. His worst nightmare was that Amelia would pick some brainless moron that he'd be forced to obey for the rest of his life! On the other hand Zelgadis was the kind of guy that he could both respect and follow.

"I'll just wait for him here then," he said calmly. He took his revenge on the three mischievous maidens merely by confiscating the listening device Anzu had created. He'd pass it along to his three pranksters after he figured out how she made it. Their protests fell on deaf ears as Seto casually examined the little magically enhanced sea shell. He sat down and waited for Zelgadis to be done…

* * *

"I love you too! ... I'm sorry! … You just took me by surprise!" Amelia reassured Zelgadis amidst an intense shower of kisses that she lavishly rained upon his lips. Zel for his part was completely lost! His other two parts were completely silent but the intense joy coursing through him let him know that they were still there. He poured every bit of energy he had into returning her enthusiastic display of affection. When they finally stopped to catch their breath Zel found him self completely speechless this was definitely the kind of reaction he was hoping for! Except he wasn't quite prepared for Amelia's energy!

'She had us going there!' Brau commented cheerfully. He was the first of all his parts to regain his wits.

'Surprise is the understatement of the year!' Golem added in a slightly dreamy tone.

Amelia rushed to explain why she had allowed all those loser prince-lings to loiter about to the point of nearly ruining her birthday celebrations. Her heart leapt with joy when he agreed with her ideas and voiced the exact same sentiments as her father had earlier.

"I'm really sorry I didn't get here sooner. Perhaps I could've helped you with that," he concluded as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close again.

"It's ok…You're here now and that's all that matters to me," she replied dreamily. He smiled and held her tight. All the hardship and solitude he'd endured the past six months were all worth it now that he was sitting here with Amelia in his arms. He wanted to say more but the musical clock he'd made for her last year chimed the midnight hour. So it was with a heavy sigh – and the grumbles and protests of Brau and Golem – that Zelgadis prepared to leave…

"I should get going now Amelia," he said softly and yet he could not bring himself to release her. Amelia sat up quickly and pulled him off the couch with her.

"Yes! It's been a long day! Especially for you! You need to go and get some rest!" she instructed with a serious look on her face.

'She's so cute when she does that!' Brau commented dreamily. Golem had yet to fully regain his wits after Amelia's "assault" and only managed a happy rumbling sound. Zel couldn't resist pulling her close once more to kiss her deeply and he delighted in the way she melted against him. They smiled at each other and hand in hand walked back to the sitting room but not before Zel retrieved a little magical listening device in the form of a sea shell tucked behind one of the cushions on the couch.

He had sensed its presence just before Amelia jumped him but he hadn't been able to do anything about it until now. No doubt it was the work of Amelia's handmaidens. Amelia wouldn't have allowed it had she known about it. Such subterfuge was after all unjust! Sure enough Amelia's hackles were raised the instant she saw the little device. She chastised her handmaidens as soon as she was inside the room.

'She's cute even when she's angry!' Brau put in once more. Again Golem could only rumble in agreement. He was surprised to find Capt. Kaiba in the sitting room standing at parade rest. He offered Zel the other half of the device but Zel told him to keep it and handed him the transmitter he'd found outside.

"Your men could find use for it…especially the ones you have on special assignment," he explained. Seto smirked proudly. Yea, this was definitely the kind of guy he wouldn't mind taking orders from!

"It's just what I was thinking sir! I've thought of a few other uses too once I can extend the range," he added. Zel nodded then turned again to Amelia and pulling her close to him once more kissed her lightly.

"I'll be back at breakfast time," he promised and then left with Kaiba at his side ignoring the giggles from Anzu and Yuffie. As he closed the door behind him he suddenly felt like he could take on Rezo, Darkstar, Hellmaster Phibrizzo and every other psycho he's ever encountered on his own blindfolded and with one hand tied behind his back!

"Sir, is it safe to assume you will be taking over the princess' protection?" Seto asked as they walked down the hall way towards Zelgadis' room. Zel frowned.

"As far as I know captain that's still _your_ job!" he replied solemnly leveling Seto with a stern look. Seto was unfazed.

"I'm sorry sir…I meant from the visiting _nobles_," Seto corrected spitting out the last word with undisguised disdain. Seto hated people that used their titles and their inherited fortunes to force others to bow down to them. If you wanted respect from Seto you had to earn it! Strength was the only thing Seto Kaiba respected! He was extremely loyal to Amelia because her adventures with Lina and Co. had proven that she could acquit herself well in extremely dire situations. His petit and cheerful leader was tough enough to hang with the big guys!

"Yes! That I _will_ do! They want to get to her they'll have to through me," replied Zel with a proud smirk.

"Yea like that's even possible!" Seto laughed as they reached Zel's room. Zel smirked in satisfaction. He was starting to suspect there was another reason why the guards were so happy to see him. They had their own favorite in mind for Amelia!

'I wonder if that's why the people in the city were so happy to see us?' Brau thought. Zel thought this was a good possibility. He observed many of the men in the ball room earlier and they all seemed like self-centered jerks. He wouldn't want to be ruled by someone like them either but it was a bit of a shock to think they would prefer Zelgadis – the chimera; grandson of the fallen priest – over someone with a less dysfunctional family history. He shook it off this seemed like a topic he should discuss with Amelia and maybe even Phil. He would leave it for tomorrow…

'Best to discuss it with Phil' Brau put in 'he should be the first to know of how serious we are about Amelia!'

'Brau's right he's her father and he has a right to know,' Golem added seriously finally snapping out of his daze. Yes, Amelia was independent enough to pick her own companions and she was strong-willed enough to do as she pleased but Phil's blessing in this matter was something he didn't want to go forward without.

"I'll talk to Phil in the morning. I don't think this will go over well with Amelia's "guests" so be prepared for trouble," Zel added as Seto turned to leave.

"You'll think there will actually be trouble?" Seto asked dubiously. Zel shook his head.

"I'm not sure but those men are low-end bullies, they'll take their frustration out on the defenseless," Zel replied thoughtfully.

"Of course the people in Saillune or even the staff here in the palace might be targeted!" Seto added in comprehension.

"Like Mokuba…" Zel put in ominously. Seto's thoughts had gone straight to his little brother who worked at the stables and was currently helping care for the mounts of the visiting nobles. Zel knew Seto's little brother was barely twelve and still too young to join the Guard he was a polite and cheerfully little kid much loved by everyone who knew him. One of those frustrated nobles wouldn't mind taking his anger out on his kid brother who was prone to defying grown-ups if they were rude. It was a disturbing thought but that's the reality about bullies…

"I hadn't thought of that! I'll get on it!" Seto exclaimed. Anything having to do with Mokuba was the sure fire way to rattle Seto's usually unflappable demeanor.

"Mokuba will be fine. He's a sharp kid! If you give him sufficient warning he'll be able to avoid any flak," Zel reassured calmly putting as much conviction into his statements as he could muster. Considering the state Zel was in it was no wonder Seto immediately relaxed. The captain nodded solemnly and with a quick salute he excused himself then turned and left…

Zel sighed in deep satisfaction as he entered his room and removed his party clothes. As he hung them carefully in his closet he laughed as he realized that the staff had already placed several more elegant outfits – one for every occasion it seemed – in his closet neatly pressed and ready for wear. Matching boots provided of course! This confirmed what he had suspected. Not only did the Palace Guard prefer Zelgadis for their future king but apparently the staff did too. He tiredly climbed into bed and with all these happy thoughts floating in his head he was finally looking forward to the rest of his life…

* * *

Well, that's it for now! Perhaps I should've put a disclaimer on this chapter...there's so much sugar in it I'm sure my dentist would disapprove! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Anyway...thanks for reading and reviewing! Until next time!


	8. Setting the stage

**The Phantom Menace of Carealot**

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I do not own: Slayers, Care Bears, Yugioh, Aladdin (Disney version), Beauty and the Beast (Disney version), That's So Raven, Castle in the Sky, Saved by the Bell, Walker, Texas Ranger…yes I said Walker, Texas Ranger! I used to hate Chuck Norris but then I saw the movie "Sidekick" and I was like "OMG he doesn't take himself seriously! I love him!" and then I watched Walker and while he was still his royal kickbuttness (and the show is titled after him) he lets other characters be the hero and quite often I might add! It's more of an ensemble show than a "Chuck Norris" show. I love Trebek by the way! Anyway…no harm intended.

**Warning:** if you are lactose intolerant, diabetic or have any kind of bad heart condition please stop reading NOW! There is so much cheese and sugar in this chapter (and in future chapters by the way!) that I can't stress it enough people! So be good to your brain and turn back now! Unless you think you're tough enough to handle it…Do you feel lucky? Well, do ya?

HAHAHA!

Well on with the show!

* * *

**Episode 5: Setting the stage…**

* * *

Zelgadis woke as the sun was rising. He practically jumped out of bed anxious to get the day started! He dressed quickly in a simple riding outfit that was in his closet. He grabbed the two fruits that True Heart gave him last night ate them quickly (for the jolt of energy he knew they would give him) and hurried out of his room. He needed to talk to Phil. He needed to be the first to tell him about last night. It was very likely - considering how gossipy Amelia's handmaidens could be - that the entire palace would know before breakfast what had transpired on Amelia's balcony.

'All of Saillune will know by breakfast if it's up to those three!' Brau commented amused. Zel and Golem groaned. He wanted to be the first to tell Phil but he realized it would not be possible as he passed a servant and the girl smiled and addressed him as "Milord" when she said her good morning and curtsied more deeply than she usually did! He ran into Phil standing outside his office on his way to an early session of Parliament. He was talking with Gen. Walker and his wife Alex who is a long time prominent member of parliament and was recently elected Prime Minister.

"Welcome back Zelgadis! Been away too long kid!" the general greeted cheerfully patting Zel on the back as he joined the group. His wife greeted Zel warmly with a friendly hug. This was not unusual of Alex Cahill-Walker. She was a very warm and friendly person but she was a very strong political figure. She didn't let titles or ranks get in the way of doing what was right!

The same went with her husband! The minute Zel meet Gen. Walker the man treated him with respect. He felt comfortable talking to Walker. He judged people by how they treated him and his people and since Zel was always serious and courteous in Saillune he won himself Walker's respect. Zel suspected it was largely due to Walker's influence that the palace guard and the army were so respectful of him not just because of his relationship with Amelia and Phil.

"Yes he certainly has! And we've certainly missed him around here!" Phil laughed as he agreed and Zel felt just a little less nervous as Phil patted him on the back too. He didn't mind at all that he could've lost a lung if it weren't for Golem's protection!

"I'm sorry…It couldn't be helped, I would've been back sooner but my mission took longer than I thought it would," Zel supplied with a slightly apologetic tone that only made the general, Alex and Phil smile wider.

"So we've heard!" Alex supplied with a grin. She and the general exchanged a quick amused glance.

"Catch you later kid!" Walker cheerfully called out as he waved goodbye to Zel.

"Your highness I'll wait for you in Parliament Hall," Alex politely excused herself and walked away with her husband.

"Phil I need to talk to you…" Zel began seriously. Phil cut him off with a boisterous laugh.

"Relax Zelgadis! Now is the time for celebrations! Amelia will be queen this year so after her birthday the three of us will sit down and have a serious talk about the future! Until then just relax and have a little fun for a change!" Phil laughed as he patted Zel in the back again and walked away. Zel frowned as Phil disappeared down the hall. This was not the conversation he'd hoped for!

'So basically we're on trial for the next couple of weeks,' Brau observed shrewdly. Zel just did not like the sound of that! He should've expected it however after all Amelia was his precious little girl! It would stand to reason that any man with courting intentions should be put to the test regardless of who he is. It's what any decent self-respecting dad would do. Phil was definitely no exception!

'Well we really have nothing to worry about,' Golem put in still glowing with optimism from last night's events. He was right though unless he did something humongously moronic that hurt Amelia or Saillune or both there was really nothing to worry about. He loved Amelia and he'd been waiting too long for this chance! No way was he going to screw up now!

'That's right Zel! Nothing can stop us now!' Brau cheered. He hurried to his princess' quarters hoping that the others hadn't gotten there yet so he could be first to greet Amelia this morning. As he neared her room he happily looked forward to another "assault" like the one last night!

* * *

Raven Baxter – royal dressmaker and fashion consultant to the princess – and her trusty sidekick Chelsea hurried at top speed through the corridors of the palace towards their princess' quarters. They'd heard from Lizzie who'd heard from Miranda who'd heard from Lisa who'd heard from Kelly who'd heard from Tifa who'd heard from Yuffie that Lord Greywords and the princess were finally "together"!

"Oh this is so exciting Chels!" Raven enthused as they hurried down the hall. She would actually get to show off her fashion skills by dolling her highness up like the princess from a fairytale that she was! Something she hadn't been able to do because of all the lurking jerks. No way was she wasting all her artistic skills on those unworthy sightless idiots! Lord Greywords she was sure would appreciate her talents and the princess was such a lovely subject to display her art. Raven is truly passionate about fashion!

Chelsea yawned and asked again why Raven had gotten her up at the crack of dawn. Chelsea had about as much I.Q. as Gourry did with the same goldfish memory syndrome and though Raven was _far _more patient than Lina sometimes the girl couldn't restrain a heavy groan of exasperation.

"Chelsea focus! We have to make sure the princess looks her absolute best today!" Raven snapped in exasperation.

"But Rai…I don't think he cares about that…" Chelsea replied confused.

"That's not the point! Oh never mind!" Raven finally gave up as she knocked urgently on the princess' door and Jessie Spano – parliament intern and Amelia's political advisor – opened the door. Raven and Chelsea rushed in.

"Good you're here! The maids spotted Lord Greywords on his way to Prince Philionel's office! Hurry!" she informed excitedly as she ushered the two young women in. Raven and Chelsea wasted no time! Lisa Turtle – hair dresser and make-up artist for Amelia – arrived just as Raven set to work on selecting and adjusting Amelia's outfit for this morning.

Amelia was so excited that she was positively glowing and her happiness was contagious! They all oohed and aahed as Amelia showed off the first of her three gifts. Raven made sure to pick the dress to compliment the new magical jewelry. The girls chattered happily as they worked. Even workaholic and serious minded Jessie put aside her political agenda and joined in on the fun! Once Mai, Anzu and Yuffie arrived it was almost a party!

If you were to come upon the scene and didn't know any better they would seem to you as just a group of young women all about the same age waking up from a slumber party and continuing their private festivities. Relating dating anecdotes, trading banter, sharing beauty tips and just laughing and enjoying their youth without a care in the world but though each young women had a "civilian" job that they enjoyed each was also a highly trained warrior whose job was to protect the princess should the need arise. Nothing is ever what it seems…especially in Saillune!

* * *

There was a short rap on the door sometime later and Anzu hurried to answer as Jessie closed the doors to Amelia's bedroom. Zelgadis walked into Amelia's sitting room and observed that the door to Amelia's bedroom was closed. There was a large table out in the balcony being set up for breakfast but no food had been laid on it yet. Zel frowned and wondered aloud if he was too early and if he should return later.

"Oh no Lord Greywords! Her highness _is _expecting you this early! She will be out in a minute!" Anzu reassured him excitedly and invited him out to the balcony to wait for the princess offering him a cup of his favorite tea. He politely refused.

"I won't find any listening devices will I Miss Anzu?" he teased as he walked out onto the balcony and removed his jacket. The girl blushed, shook her head and with a deep curtsy she excused herself to go get Amelia.

'Besides I made a better one!' Anzu thought mischievously as she returned to Amelia's bedroom. As she entered an eager Amelia was barely being restrained by Raven and Chelsea as they made the final adjustments to Amelia's dress. She wore a simple white sun dress with off the shoulder straps and little yellow daisies embroidered on the hem and the heart shaped bust line along with matching sandals. Her hair was pulled away from her face and held back with little pins which were covered by bright yellow daisies that Lisa braided lightly into her hair.

"He's waiting in the balcony!" Anzu announced excitedly "Oh and Raven you'll be happy to know he did dress up this morning in one of the outfits you sent for him!" she added gleefully.

"Which one!" Raven asked excitedly as she clapped with joy and gave Amelia one more quick check. She tightened the ties in the back of Amelia's dress to push up her bust line and make it just a little more revealing despite Amelia's protests that it was too tight. The girls giggled and Amelia blushed as Anzu described the black riding pants with silver crossing belts, white shirt, perfectly polished boots and matching black jacket that he removed as soon as he stepped out into the balcony.

"Definitely a good choice for today," Raven commented with a serious look on her face and an air of professional appreciation. She was the fashion expert after all and she took her job VERY seriously! She was glad she'd picked the white dress for Amelia. They would compliment each other well. She said as much and was rewarded with Amelia's lavish praise and grateful smile as the young princess left her room.

As soon as Amelia was gone Anzu busted out her new listening shell affixed itto the wall in Amelia's room that was nearest the balcony and they all crowded around it to listen…

* * *

"Wow!" was all Zel could say at first. He recovered quickly with a mental slap from Brau and Golem and added a 'Good Morning' to it. Amelia just giggled slightly as she replied in kind then wrapped her arms around his neck so she could kiss him. When they came up for air Zel found it a little easier than last night to form coherent thoughts.

"This dress reminds me of that time we were on our way to Solace," he began as he pulled her towards the couch. She wrapped her arms around him and held on tight.

"Yes, two years ago we had so much fun!" she sighed dreamily as she curled up against his chest. It was rapidly becoming her favorite spot!

"We stopped in that field full of yellow flowers and you and Lina made little crowns with them," he continued with a far away look. She looked up and listened intently.

"You were so happy…when you smiled at me your face lit up so brightly that I felt my heart stopped for just a moment. You looked so beautiful… After that whenever I felt alone or lost I always thought of that smile and I knew exactly where to go and with whom I wanted to be…" he concluded softly stroking her cheek. Her eyes were wide her heart beat wildly and she found herself speechless once more. She did the only thing she could think of and Zelgadis willingly submitted once more to Amelia's "assault".

* * *

"Oh he is good!" Raven pointed out admiringly. Yuffie, Anzu and Lisa giggled in agreement. Mai and Jessie rolled their eyes.

"Please! That line had more cheese in it than a grilled cheese sandwich!" Mai protested.

"Yea! I think I need to go brush my teeth now from all that sugar too!" Jessie added in mock-disgust. Mai laughed.

"Yum, I like grilled cheese and on sweet bread might be even yummier…" simple-minded Chelsea said suddenly.

_Everyone sweat-dropped!_

Anzu rolled her eyes and chastised her. Mai and Jessie laughed.

"I can't help it! I didn't get to have breakfast!" Chelsea whined. Everyone groaned loudly.

"Chelsea really…" Raven began but suddenly stopped she went completely still as Raven's "special" ability activated and launched her mind briefly into the future…

_On a dark corner in the back of a crowded ballroom two men with selfish evil looks on their faces conspired. Prince Akmed from the Desert kingdoms and Prince Gaston from the Mountain kingdoms smiled evilly at each other as they briefly shook hands._

"_Alright then the first one to get rid of the freak gets the princess!" Gaston said in his deep haughty tone._

"_Agreed! The first to kill Greywords wins!" Akmed agreed in his nasally voice twirling his pointy villain's moustache. Then each man went their separate ways the evil look on their faces making their intentions plain to see…_

Raven's mind returned to the present with a shiver. Her usually cheerful open expression replaced by one of horror. She didn't waste any time answering questions from her friends/coworkers and ran to the balcony to warn the intended target of her vision…

* * *

Zel was lost once more all thoughts of breakfast parties or anything else completely gone from his mind. To say that he was happy was a gruesome understatement! So when Raven ran screaming his name into the balcony it didn't register very quickly. When it finally did he was annoyed at being interrupted but when he saw the look of horror on the girl's face he quickly reconsidered.

"What is it Raven?" Amelia asked beating Zel to it.

"Vision! I had a vision! They're going to kill Lord Greywords!" the girl fired breathlessly. Amelia sucked in a horrified breath and pulled Raven to the couch. The rest of Amelia's handmaidens came right behind her.

"_Who's_ going to try and kill me Ms. Raven?" Zel asked calmly as he immediately relinquished his seat to the girl who looked rather distraught. Amelia patted her on the shoulder and as Raven caught her breath Zel listened carefully as Raven explained the details of her vision. Raven is obviously a seer but her ability to foresee the future was extremely limited and somewhat unreliable which was why she was Amelia's fashion advisor rather than fortune teller!

Raven can only see a few seconds into the future which incidentally made her an excellent archer but fashion was her true calling! On a rare occasion she could see a few days into the future but they were usually very short and incomplete scenes of inconsequential things. That she had captured information so vital and detailed was unusual. Furthermore, just like most of Amelia's handmaidens, she was _extremely_ loyal to Amelia with a very romantic heart and the idea of the fairytale's hero being removed from the story was disturbing to her. If she could prevent it then she would do whatever it took even if it meant interrupting the love scene!

"So you see I had to came and tell Lord Greywords right away!" Raven concluded solemnly. Zel nodded pensively. Amelia and her handmaidens looked unhappy and his princess looked like she was about to launch into one of her self-righteous tirades. He smirked and preempted her.

"I figured something like this might happen," Zel commented calmly. Amelia blinked surprised and the attention turned to him.

"Think about it…These guys are spoiled rich brats accustomed to getting their way. They've spent a week here and gotten nothing from Amelia," he began calmly as they all gathered closer to listen.

"And that's exactly what they'll keep getting! Nothing!" Amelia raged. Unfortunately for her though since it was a vision of the future Akmed and Gaston hadn't technically done anything yet so to punish them without just cause was unlawful. Her hands were tied! She reached out to take hold of Zel's hand and he gave her hand a slight squeeze of reassurance.

"To them it will seem that in less than one day I undid all the progress they believe they made…" he continued explaining.

"Hmph! Progress! Now there's a laugh!" Lisa pointed out angrily. She like all the other handmaidens had been on their toes since the loser gang arrived trying to keep them in line. They resented the prince-lings as much as the guard did for their disrespect towards their beloved princess! Jessie jumped in then too.

"So they'll take it as a humiliating defeat and retaliate in whatever ways they can to save face! We can probably expect attacks against your character as well Lord Greywords," she put in seriously her politically inclined brain already spinning ways to anticipate and counter such attacks.

"Oh it's on now!" Raven declared forcefully. The rage and indignation the girls felt gave Zel an odd sense of comfort. They were angry not just for Amelia but for him as well. It was strange that so many people would care about what happened to him. His cynical tendency made him think at first it was just for Amelia's sake that they were protective of him but he wasn't so sure anymore. Since last night he was a little more willing to believe and trust in others…

"Capt. Kaiba should be preparing against the temper tantrums that the less bold will likely inflict upon the staff but perhaps I'll have a chat with Gen. Walker this morning and give him the heads up too," Zel suggested his calm demeanor and exceeding confidence was starting to restore the good mood of Amelia's happy staff. Amelia however did not seem very happy with any of these explanations.

"I still think I should send the whole selfish lot packing!" Amelia grumbled angrily and amidst the heartfelt agreements of her staff she muttered something about letting Lina fireball them to her heart's content. Zel allowed himself a slight smirk of amusement as he imagined his friend using them for target practice.

"Oh yes Lina would love that!" he commented with a hint of amusement. Amelia giggled as she too pictured it and with her good mood restored somewhat so was the rest of her staff. She smiled sweetly at him and that was Raven and the rest of the girls' cue. Raven jumped up from her spot.

"Well we'll just go and get out of the way now and y'all go ahead get back to what you were doin' 'k…" she offered smiling and pulling Chelsea along with her. The rest of the girls followed cheerfully plotting evil ways to preempt those rotten spoiled prince-lings!

"Can we have some grilled cheese sandwiches now?" Chelsea insisted as they left the balcony. Amelia giggled as the girls groaned Chelsea's name as one! Her frown returned however as the door closed behind them. Zel retook his spot next to Amelia on the couch. She opened her mouth to say something but he brought his fingers up to her lips to stop her.

"Amelia I will be fine," he reassured her putting all of his confidence behind the statement.

'But they made her stop smiling and for that we're gonna kick all their asses!' Brau hissed angrily and Golem wholeheartedly agreed. Zel pushed back his anger and focused his mind on restoring Amelia's smile. He wrapped his arms around her waist.

"After all we've been through together don't you think we can handle a few spoiled prince-lings with injured prides?" he asked calmly. Amelia thought about it for a moment then smiled. Yes considering the adversaries they had encountered in the time they'd known each other a few spoiled brats with bruised egos should be nothing in comparison. She sighed in relief and wrapped her arms around him again. This time it was Zel who initiated the make-out session. His indignation was temporarily forgotten as Amelia melted into his arms.

* * *

Lina and Gourry were the first of their friends to arrive that morning. Intent on finding food they had paid no attention to the happy gossip that the palace staff was trading this morning. So when they barged into Amelia's room and stepped out into the balcony their jaws dropped at the scene they encountered. Zel and Amelia were making out like it was the end of the world!

"Good morn—whoa!" Lina exclaimed as she took in the scene.

"Well it looks like you won't have to play matchmaker after all Lina!" Gourry cheerfully pointed out. Lina smiled up at him.

"We knew it was gonna happen sooner or later anyway right!" she replied and Gourry laughed as he agreed. Her stomach grumbled then and her smile disappeared.

"But you know I wish they'd leave it for later! I'm hungry! Hey you two quit it already let's eat!" Lina shouted. Zel raised his hand briefly in a shooing away gesture without breaking his current position then wrapped that arm back around his intended. Well it was a good thing Gourry has quick reflexes or Lina would've pounded Zel into dust! Being dismissed in such an offhanded manner was not something Lina could take very well from anyone not even her best friends! Thankfully Chelsea chose that moment to show up with a little plate…

"Grilled cheese sandwich anyone?" she offered cheerfully. Lina's eyes lit up with joy! She and Gourry inhaled the two sandwiches on Chelsea's little plate!

"I made them with cinnamon raisin bread!" she cheerfully explained as she invited them back inside where she had prepared a large plate full of them! By the time they had wolfed down the last bite Amelia and Zel finally emerged from the balcony. The servants rushed to the balcony after they left to set the breakfast out on the table.

"Good morning Ms. Lina!" Amelia greeted cheerfully. Lina smiled back.

"Yea! I would wish you the same but it looks like you two are already having a REALLY good morning!" she countered in her usual smartass way! Amelia blushed deeply and Zel just rolled his eyes in mild annoyance but refused to rise to the bait. Sylphiel arrived then with Lord Dincht who had run into her on her way into the palace as he was making his way to the training ground with the relieved guards. He had decided to forgo his workout for that morning and invite Sylphiel out to breakfast.

She accepted on the condition that he accompany her to say hi to her friends first. They didn't stay long at any rate and left soon after promising to catch up with them later. Filia and little Val arrived soon after escorted by Capt. Kaiba. She cheerfully greeted everyone and happily congratulated Amelia. Amelia blushed once more as Capt Kaiba had informed Filia of the recent developments between her and Zelgadis.

Amelia tried to coax little Val to come and say hi to her but Val clung to the person holding him at the moment: Capt Kaiba! Little Val was a moody and anti-social child and there were very few people he would go with. He sometimes liked Amelia, he felt indifferent about Zelgadis or Gourry. He liked Martina's little girls well enough but was indifferent to Martina and Zangalus.

"Come back with Filia-mama Val. It's time for breakfast!" Filia entreated gently holding out her arms expectantly. Val shook his head and clung tighter to Seto. He liked Jillas and Gavros of course but they stayed behind to run Filia's shop while she was gone. The only person in all of Saillune who could coax Val to do anything was Seto. No one knew exactly why since Seto Kaiba was not exactly the affectionate type. He was very serious and was never seen with small children but to look at those two together and not know who they were you'd think they were father and son!

"If you don't mind maam…I can take Val to the Guard's day care center. My brother Mokuba is helping Mrs. Morris there today. I will see to it that he has his breakfast," he offered politely and seriously. Val cheered and begged his Filia-mama to let him go. Mokuba was one of Val's favorite playmates and Mokuba loved playing big brother to Val. Filia knew all of this of course so she relented. The Kaiba brothers were the only reason why little Val tolerated the long trips to Saillune.

Zel watched with a thoughtful expression as a contented smile appeared on Kaiba's face as he left with Val. He wondered what it was about Val that made Mokuba and Seto so happy to see him. Valgaav had been a first class psycho after all and Seto was a brilliant, loyal and honorable soldier without a single blemish on his record. He's never even been late to work once! The only thing they had in common was that they were orphans who knew little to nothing of their family origins.

He knew Seto did not know all the details about their adventures with Filia. Filia had requested that they not tell anyone she and Val were dragons. Seto was attracted to power perhaps it was just his never ending search for power that made him so attentive towards Filia and so fatherly towards Val. He could sense the power within them. However it still didn't explain why Val liked Seto so much! Or why Filia was so trusting towards Seto. One of these days Zel was gonna find out…

'Wonder what he would think if he knew?' Brau puzzled as they all moved out to the balcony to have breakfast. Martina and Zangalus showed up then saying that Kelly Morris had come by early and offered to care for their little girls. Martina wasted no time in teasing Amelia. Zel just shook his head and ignored her as he greeted Zangalus.

'He'd probably ask her to marry him!' Golem joked and he and Brau laughed. Zel didn't think it was too funny. It was likely not all that far from the truth! He took his seat next to Amelia and all thoughts came to a screeching halt as she reached under the table and laid her hand on his thigh. He smirked at her boldness and she just smiled back sweetly and innocently.

'Naughty Princess!' Brau commented amused. Golem could only rumble happily. Lina gave them a sour look.

"Hey you two quit it we're trying eat here!" Lina shrieked at them. Zel laughed.

"Since when has anything we say or do stop you from doing anything Lina!" he retorted. Gourry mumbled something with his mouth full that sounded like 'He's right Lina!'

"…Especially eating Ms. Lina!" Amelia added cheerfully as her hand strayed a little farther up Zelgadis' leg much to Brau and Golem's delight. Zel gulped and reached down quickly to hold her hand in a vain attempt to stop her from adding fuel to his already fevered brain. Lina thought about it for a second.

"You're right! More for me!" she declared happily and dug in with the frenetic energy that only Lina was capable of! He watched as Amelia and his friends dug happily into breakfast. But as he took a little fruit and a few other small items Zel found that he had lost his appetite. Well it wasn't really that he wasn't hungry it was just that what he was craving at the moment was definitely not the croissants!

Amelia poured him a cup of tea and he turned to thank her as she returned to her seat but it took quite a bit of concentration and self-discipline to keep a straight face and his voice even. The view her dress afforded him in that moment did nothing to help stop the fire that was about to rage out of control in his mind.

'Uh…Zel…I think we're in trouble…' Brau commented softly. Golem was silent as Zel chewed half-heartedly on the little bit of breakfast he'd managed to rescue and place in his plate!

* * *

Why am I taking the time to explain about a side character like Seto? Well every hero needs a sidekick! Tag Seto! You're it!

Thanks for reading and reviewing!


	9. Interlude: there will be more ya know!

**Magic of Care-a-lot Part Two**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own: Slayers, Care Bears, Little House on the Prairie, Yugioh, Dragon Quest VIII, etc… on goes the "Where's Waldo?" game of crossovers I always play with my stories! Seriously…no harm intended

* * *

**Interlude: Yes another intermission…It's a necessary evil! Trust me! **

* * *

_It's a small world after all! It's a small, small world!_

Zelas and Xelloss held on to each other tightly trying to block out the sounds and sights that currently surrounded their little boat ride. This was their third run through that horrid world with those creepy little puppets singing that horrifyingly happy song. By the second time they figured out however that blasting and screaming was useless and only made the boat slow down or stop. So they figured if they just sat quietly the boat would move along quickly! They were right…

"It worked mistress…" Xelloss drew in a shaky breath. Zelas nodded struggling to draw in her power as the "Pirates" section's entrance droned out its mazoku welcome greeting: _Dead men tell no tales! _The pirate frolicking and mazoku friendly mayhem soon ensued. As the mayhem and madness restored their power they commented on how the torture had only lasted one chorus set and one verse in less than 2 minutes they were out of there.

"I am sure now that we are being tested for some purpose Xelloss," Zelas remarked as the screams of a pirate being chased by cannibals restored her vigor.

"Yes mistress! I thought so too!" Xelloss agreed cheerfully feeling much more like him self again amidst the pirate mayhem.

"I wonder if we passed…" Zelas pondered as they passed a group of pirates screaming obscenities at the officials who were about to hang them.

"I don't know but I hope this test ends soon," Xelloss replied with uncharacteristic seriousness…

* * *

Victoria stood now in her living room watching the four small screens intently. She wasn't concerned for Zelgadis' safety because she knew he'd be just fine so she paid little attention to the happy goings on in Saillune. She had changed into her battle gear now. With her giant sword strapped at her back it was time to get down to business!

"They are a good choice," George said solemnly patting her on the shoulder proudly.

"Yes, I knew Xelloss and Zelas would figure it out first," she replied proudly. She tapped a few commands into the remote. Zelas and Xelloss would not be returning to the "_It's a small world!_" scenario. She shook her head in disappointment. Their counterparts were still blasting away at the dolls not taking an instant to _think _about their situation.

"What about the others?" she asked. She was all business now because the others had failed it only meant one thing: they would be destroyed! George smiled at her he knew how she disliked the destruction and chaos part of her job. But that was the nature of maintaining the balance in the universe: sometimes you help create happy endings other times you kill and destroy. Light and Dark must always be in equal balance!

"Send them back but you won't be doing the deed," he answered reading her thoughts as always. She looked puzzled.

"No? Why not?" she countered truly mystified. George smiled once more.

"Zelas and Xelloss aren't the only ones who need to be tested!" he smirked cheerfully. She rolled her eyes annoyed that she'd forgotten in her enthusiasm over Zelas and Xelloss' triumph. Of course this whole endeavor was because Zelgadis would soon be keeper of a very important power and they needed to be sure he could handle it.

"Please don't say you're sending Raistlin…" she asked she wanted Zel to be tested without the world being obliterated if at all possible. He chuckled and shook his head.

"No he's busy elsewhere at the moment!" he replied cheerfully and explained that Raistlin had asked for another shot at Takisis and George had granted it since she wasn't being very cooperative and not doing her job properly. She relaxed with Raistlin busy elsewhere whoever they sent to kill the other demon lords Zel should have no problem handling. Her mind started running through possible candidates…

'Let's see: Vader or maybe Palpatine! No he's too much! Voldemort maybe? Or maybe just Xemnas? No… Xemnas is a wuss! Old Voldy aught to do the trick!' she thought as her master watched her intently a mischievous smile growing on his lips once more.

"I'm sending Sephiroth instead," he added calmly.

"Oh Sephiroth…_WHAT? _You might as well send Raistlin! Sephiroth is nuts! He'll get carried away for sure! Zel will be toast and his world along with him!" she yelled rounding on her master in defense of her chosen one. Sephiroth was rarely ever let loose from his prison because he never obeyed orders and always ended up leaving a trail of galactic wide carnage in his wake. The only ones who could control the nearly invincible Sephiroth were her master, Raistlin and her!

"Remember what happened last time? You let him lose and he created the Borg! Just for kicks mind you it wasn't part of his job! You still haven't fixed that by the way! And what about the Atlanteans? You sent him out to give my people a little kick in their complacency and what did he do?" she asked her tone heavy with scorn. He just stared at her the little mischievous smirk still in place. He loved provoking her!

"He created the Wraiths and a disease and here we are millions of years later and I'm all that's left of them! What little was left "ascended" into a mediocre bunch of cowards who are so afraid of their powers that the sit around doing nothing rather than get out there and get involved! They hide behind their "we're not supposed to interfere" rule as an excuse to neglect their unfinished business!" she answered for him sounding very angry by now.

Races that had evolved to a higher plane of existence and claimed neutrality because of it irked her. It was her major pet peeve. Everything in existence outside of the great guardian and his servant has to pick a side light or dark: no exceptions! Anyone pretending to be neutral and a higher authority over regular mortal realms was stepping on Victoria's toes as well as breaking the rules and eventually would get their punishment. He suspected she was angrier about that than Sephiroth's unruliness!

"If he blows up that world…"

"…I will hear it for the next million years!" he cut off with a laugh! He cupped her face in his hands and smiled reassuringly.

"Everything will turn out exactly as it's supposed to…" he reassured. She glared at him and turned away to watch her screens and command the computers to release the other demon lords and return them to their lairs. Zelas and Xelloss would remain a little longer in the holodeck to keep them safe…

"That doesn't mean it will end well…" she retorted bitterly after all she'd lost count of the times she heard _that_ as she was forced to allow entire worlds to be destroyed and civilizations lost. Watching Krypton get blasted into oblivion by something as mundane as a data-collecting computer was a hard blow. Kryptonians were a peaceful and philosophically advanced society and she had resented having them destroyed before they could achieve their full potential.

George sighed tiredly. He didn't want to lose this servant. She was the best he'd had in eons! The fact that she could still feel anything after so many centuries is what set her apart from all her predecessors but in the end she was mortal and she could only take so much. He sighed again and disappeared…

* * *

Victoria and George: What are they exactly? Well they are a metaphor! They represent us and the creators of the worlds in which we write!

George: represents the authors you know all those guys that actually get paid oodles of money for their ideas. Yea those! They create the worlds and the characters and their foundation dictates how those worlds work and thus the directions in which we will take our stories. thus why I made him look like George Lucas...It was on purpose!

Victoria represents us the fan fiction author! We write whatever we want! We can be beautiful or we can be deadly. We are invincible because where one fan author hangs his or her writing cap ten more will take their place. We are unstoppable but in the end we must capitulate to whatever the wishes of Lucas-sama or Kazuki-sama or Kanzaka-sama or Square-Enix or all those other guys who own the stuff we like to write about. sigh

Thanks for being patient! Work has really been sucking the life out of me and I haven't been feeling very good lately so it's been really hard to get any inspiration. This was part of the "setting the stage" section of the story. Hopefully I should get to the good stuff soon!

Thanks for reading!


	10. Completamente enamorados

**Carealot: A New Hope**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own: Slayers, Care Bears, Yugioh, Aladdin (Disney version), Beauty and the Beast (Disney version), That's So Raven, Castle in the Sky, Saved by the Bell…must I really go on with this… I already lost count of how many crossovers I've got… I'm not making any money off of it! I just do it for the sick twisted fun of it all! I work for a bank people! I need some relief!

**Warning:** By now you've all been sufficiently warned and if you've gotten this far it's because you have nerves (as well as stomachs and hearts) of steel! So I won't bother with any more warnings!

Now…on with the show!

* * *

**Episode 6: _Completamente enamorados _– Chayanne**

* * *

By the time breakfast was over and the servants were clearing the dishes in Amelia's room all of Saillune was well aware of the romantic developments between Amelia and Zelgadis! Cid the Blacksmith from Orange Grove was enjoying a healthy boost on his sales because the word had spread that Cid gave Zel the ride to Saillune Palace that allowed him to be on time to save their Princess' party! Cid didn't mind telling anyone who listened about his friendship with Lord Greywords!

Happiness bloomed again in the streets of Saillune. Banished was the gloomy air that had settled over the city in the long months that Lord Greywords was gone because Amelia brooded over his absence! The cheer that had been zapped away by the parade of bullish princes was restored by Zel's heroically timed arrival! The happy gossip spread like wildfire and the romance of the story was exaggerated more and more with each telling.

The only ones not happy were the princes who had traveled from their countries where they were pampered and spoiled to see if they could bag themselves a rich and pretty princess! In their puny little heads Zelgadis had not only upstaged them but also swept easily away with the prize. No they were not happy at all!

Charmles was informed by his attendant that one of the palace servants had told him that Zelgadis and Amelia were now a couple. Charmles was furious! He ranted and raged at the indignity! How dare she spend the evening with some other man! She was bound to him by their family's history! He had allowed those others to dream their silly dreams but in the end only he had a right to the princess of Saillune! He – Charmles heir to the Argonian throne – was the only one who had the right to possess the Princess of Saillune! At least that's what he believed in his tiny brain!

"Who does this peasant think he is? That he should be allowed to touch what rightfully belongs to me!" Charmles huffed angrily sweat pouring from his fat face! He turned angrily at the sound of mocking laughter. Auron – his father's most loyal bodyguard – and his apprentice Tidus snickered and laughed mockingly.

"That peasant as you call him is the grandson of the Great Rezo!" Auron pointed out haughtily and laughed. Charmles looked confused and Tidus laughed even harder.

"He doesn't know who Rezo is! He barely knows his ABC's!" Tidus taunted. It was true Charmles cared only about himself and didn't know much of anything. He had a vague notion that Rezo was some sort of powerful wizard but beyond that he didn't know and didn't care.

"It doesn't matter who this Rezo is! This Zelgadis is not a titled prince like me! He has no right to even be here in this palace! He should be out there with the roughage!" Charmles scolded. Tidus rolled his eyes angrily. He'd heard all the stories about Zelgadis, Amelia and their infamous friend Lina Inverse-Gabriev. He dreamed of having adventures like theirs! Not being stuck babysitting a useless excuse for a prince! He opened his mouth to say more when Auron poked him hard in the ribs.

"Mind your manners…" Auron advised. Tidus grumbled angrily and stormed out. He was sick of being made fun of by the palace guards for working for an idiot like Charmles and if it weren't because he owed Auron and the king his life he'd quit in an instant! One of these days that Charmles was gonna push him too far! Auron let Tidus go and gave Charmles a hard look.

"Your highness… If you do something that will embarrass your father I will not protect you! If you do something to harm diplomatic relationships between Argonia and Saillune I will stop you!" Auron warned sternly. His first duty was to Charmles' father and in his eyes Charmles was an insult to the old man. He got up and left the room to find his apprentice. He had to make sure Tidus didn't get into any trouble. He was a hot head after all. He ignored Charmles threats to fire him as soon as they returned to Argonia. He knew it would never happen Charmles' father would never allow it!

'But perhaps it's the only thing that might make Tidus happy!' Auron thought sadly. He thought perhaps it's time to let Tidus go and make his own story…

* * *

Amelia was ushered reluctantly away from Zel by her duties. Zel took the time to catch up with his friends and Lina badgered him for details on how he created Amelia's gifts. She pestered him to show her the rest but he staunchly refused. She would just have to wait until he gave them to Amelia! Gen. Walker pulled him away later that morning and took him with him to check out Saillune army's new batch of recruits.

Phil called him back up to the palace before lunch and invited him to sit in at an informal political luncheon with several members of parliament. He had the distinct impression that Phil was testing not just his worthiness as a future husband for Amelia but as a ruler for his country. He wasn't the only one! Prime minister Cahill-Walker dragged him into a discussion about economic reform. He was glad he had been paying attention these past four years. He should've figured they'd test him this way though!

'Duh! Amelia is the soon-to-be _queen_ of Saillune!' Brau teased. Golem laughed and Zel worked hard at shushing their teasing and responding to the Prime minister's questions. Of course they would want to know whether a quiet, private person like himself could handle the social and political realm that Phil and Amelia had been born into! As the afternoon wore on he began to get the hang of it. When he thought about it the whole thing really wasn't all that different from sword-fighting.

_Thrust, parry, thrust_!

'You watch your back and try to stay ahead of your opponent's next attack!' Zel realized amused.

'Politics are so dangerous,' Golem rumbled softly shrinking deeper into Zel's mind. Golem's version of hiding behind Brau and Zel!

'…but oh so exciting!' Brau teased and again Zel tried to shush them wishing he could just get away from these people and back to his princess and his friends. The luncheon finally began to let up and he was rescued by Capt Kaiba who had a message from Amelia. Phil gave him a "thumbs up" and he excused himself to go away from the bickering politicians for a while. He fervently hoped to find some "alone time" with Amelia! Especially after all the "ideas" Amelia's low cut pretty white dress had put in his head!

'Naughty little princess was helping those ideas along you know!' Brau teased recalling Amelia's roaming hand during breakfast. With some effort Zel restrained a smile as he walked with Capt Kaiba towards the gardens where Amelia was spending the afternoon. Golem rumbled happily looking forward to the reunion.

Lina and Martina and several of Amelia's royal-born female friends were there as well clustered in little groups walking about and enjoying the nice weather. Martina's tomboyish little girls ran around laughing and playing with several other children. Kelly Morris and her staff had brought the children from the daycare to play out in the sunshine and visit with the Princess who loved being around children.

Capt Kaiba growled angrily and excused himself. Zel turned in the direction Kaiba had looked. He noticed Mokuba was fascinated with a petit blonde girl doing some silly looking acrobatics. Mokuba was so absorbed in watching her he barely paid any attention to little Val. He allowed himself a short chuckle as Seto stomped away towards his brother to remind him of his duty.

Lina was delighting a small group of older girls with some minor light spells and creating little illusions. As Zel walked towards them he could see that Gourry and Zangalus were there too but they were off playing with the little ones. He allowed himself a chuckle as Gourry and Zangalus stumbled around blindfolded chasing after a group of kindergartners. Another person was there talking to Amelia and she seemed to be trying to politely make him go away. Zel's jaw tightened angrily at the sight of him.

'_Charmles!_' Golem rumbled angrily. The one who started Amelia's miserable week! Oh how Zel wanted to repay him for nearly ruining her birthday! He walked faster…

'Easy Zel! Don't wanna cause an international incident here! His father is Phil's best friend remember?' Brau cautioned. Zel was aware of that and he decided he would go easy on Charmles for now. However if Charmles tried anything stupid in his presence nothing would protect that bastard from his wrath!

'Agreed!' Brau and Golem intoned as one. As they neared Amelia spotted him and cheerfully waved at him. She turned away from Charmles and walked towards him. He returned her cheerful smile but that smile soon disappeared as Charmles chose that moment to do something _stupid_!

* * *

For the most part Amelia's morning had been rather peaceful. She had attended the early session of parliament and her father sent her off into town to have lunch with her friends. Except for Sylphiel who had left with Zell Dincht that morning and was still MIA! The people in the city seemed even more eager to please than usual! When she returned she found out that Zelgadis had been dragged in her place into the luncheon with the Prime minister and some of the other members of parliament. That's why he hadn't joined them for lunch!

"That was so unfair of Daddy to just throw him in there with no warning!" Amelia whined after lunch as they walked into the garden.

"Oh don't worry Amelia! Zel will be fine!" Lina reassured. Amelia shook her head.

"I hope so!" she countered worriedly.

"Don't worry Amelia! Zel's tough as a _rock_!" Lina laughed at her own silly pun and ran off to join Gourry who was already busy entertaining several children. Amelia rolled her eyes and watched her friends scamper off to join Kelly Morris and her staff in playing with the daycare's children. She couldn't help worrying about him and wondered whether he'd be angry or not when he returned.

'Well I suppose I can always make it up to him,' she thought dreamily looking forward to being in his arms again soon. She waved at her friend Yuna who was off chatting cheerfully with a boy dressed in a yellow vest and yellow shorts with a blue sword attached to his back. He seemed familiar but she couldn't see his face from this angle so she wasn't sure who he might. Rinoa and Aerith were on the swings talking. She looked around for their husbands Squall and Cloud but they didn't seem to be there at the moment. She was sure they'd show up soon. They were never too far away from their beloveds!

Paine – Yuna's head bodyguard – was off by herself up on a tree just enjoying the scene and keeping an eye on everyone but returned Amelia's cheerful greeting with a short wave of her arm. Riku – Yuna's little cousin – was making the children laugh with some silly acrobatics. Mokuba watched her with complete adoration and little Val tried unsuccessfully to get his attention. Martina and Zangalus reunited with their children and Amelia smiled…

'Life is good…' she sighed happily and was about to join Lina when a familiar annoying whiny voice stopped her.

"Amelia! I need a word with you!" he commanded imperiously. Charmles always managed to sound like he was whining even when he was trying to sound commanding. She fought the urge to roll her eyes.

'Alright! Subtlety hasn't worked with his thick head so I'm just gonna have to go for blunt!' Amelia thought and explained in as plain words as she could think of that there was just no hope for the two of them to have any romantic involvement!

"That makes no sense! How else do you expect to maintain a relationship with my kingdom! Why else do you think our fathers are friends? Obviously because you have to marry me so we can unite our kingdoms!" he snapped angrily. Amelia took a deep breath and fought the urge to plant a "Pacifist Crush" right on his nose!

"Our fathers are friends because they like being friends!" she retorted trying very hard to be polite and princess-like.

"And extortion and blackmail are not very good reasons to marry anyone!" she added self-righteously revving up to give him a good long justice lecture but just then she spotted Zel entering the gardens with Capt Kaiba and all other thoughts escaped from her mind. She smiled and waved at him and he smiled back. Without giving Charmles another thought she moved away to meet her beloved. Suddenly she felt his fat fingers wrap painfully around her arm and yank her roughly back to his side.

"I will no longer tolerate anymore of these shenanigans! You are supposed to marry me and that is final!" he declared obviously not realizing the danger his selfishness had just placed him in. Amelia was so shocked by Charmles' sudden aggressiveness that it took her a second to react. She soon recovered and her fist barreled in the direction of Charmles' head. However by the time her fist got there Charmles was no longer there and neither were his fingers around her arm. Charmles was face down on the ground screaming like a little girl. His arm was twisted behind him and Zelgadis' knee dug painfully into the small of his back.

"_Don't touch_!" Zel growled dangerously and applied more pressure to the offending arm with his right hand as his left fist dug into Charmles' shoulder blades. Charmles shrieked in exaggerated agony for help from his guards! Quickly Amelia pulled Zel away assuring him that she was alright. It was not easy! Tidus showed up then and swallowed most of an angry growled at the embarrassment his master had caused him. Charmles flailed dramatically on the ground as Zelgadis glared angrily down at him standing in front of Amelia as if to shield her. Tidus swallowed his pride – something he did often in Charmles' service – and bowed penitently toward Amelia and Zelgadis.

"Your highness…"

"Stop Tidus!" Amelia commanded pushing past Zel to face him "Neither you nor your country have to apologize! The only one who committed a transgression here was Charmles! He is the one who should apologize to me, my father and Zelgadis!"

"As you wish," Tidus replied allowing himself a slight grateful smirk and nodded.

Stone faced Tidus picked up his master and glared only once at Charmles as he whined that Tidus was being too rough. He set his face in a stoic blank look and with a solemn heroic effort he practically carried his obese master away! Only once did Tidus look away ashamed and it was when Yuna caught up with the crowd that had gathered around Amelia and asked what happened. Tidus said nothing and dragged Charmles a little more roughly.

Amelia realized it was Tidus the boy Yuna had been speaking with a few minutes ago. It made her even angrier! Charmles was a selfish idiot and that was no secret. Nobody liked him because of it. She barely tolerated him before on account of their fathers' friendship. Now she would never again have cause to be nice to him! He had embarrassed Tidus in front of someone he respected and that was simply unforgivable in her book! She vowed she would do something about it…

* * *

Zel frowned as he watched Tidus carry his awful burden away with solemn dignity. Tidus was Auron's apprentice and Auron was a man Zel had much respect for. Auron had once told him that working in Argonia was like a paid retirement. He liked it just fine Tidus on the other hand it was obvious that he didn't enjoy it at all! He had never liked Charmles in the past. He liked him even less now! He turned to see if Amelia was alright but words were cut short by Amelia's kiss!

"Thank you!" she said softly as she released him. It took Zel a moment to gather his wits to respond. His mind was still exhausted from the verbal dueling he'd been doing with Saillune's politicians earlier.

"You're welcome," he replied quietly as the crowd dispersed to give the couple some privacy. Capt Kaiba approached her to ask her if she was alright but it was just a formality. He knew that Zel had done exceedingly well at protecting the princess' honor! Zel wrapped his arms around Amelia and nodded. She just smiled happily and agreed. He pulled her gently towards a nearby stone bench.

The captain excused himself to go attend to his duties and inform Prince Phil that there had been an incident. Unfortunately he hadn't seen the whole thing so it was likely Charmles would fabricate something to make Lord Greywords look bad. He would conduct an investigation but he knew there was still going to be some backlash! He decided he'd put Jesse and Mai on it and see if they could dig up something they could use against Charmles. He stopped for a moment to promise little Val and Mokuba that he would return soon.

Nobody noticed Paine quietly retreat from her spot up on the tree and head back into the palace in search of Phil. She had seen and heard the whole thing. From the moment Charmles approached Amelia to the minute Zelgadis slammed Charmles on the ground. Phil _would_ get a blow by blow account! When Charmles gets around to tattling to Phil he will be in for a nasty surprise.

She smirked mischievously for a moment as she spotted a maid walking towards her on her way to her duties. She stopped to tell her that Prince Phil's door knob needed polishing. It was the signal that the maids used to pass the word that interesting gossip could be heard. The maid smiled and said she would get on it right away! Paine chuckled softly as the maid hurried off taking the service corridor short cuts. By dinner time all of Saillune would know…

* * *

The incident was soon forgotten by Amelia and Zelgadis who were so absorbed on catching each other up on their day so far that they didn't notice anything else going on around them. Yuna was no longer very cheerful now that Tidus was gone. And everyone wondered where Paine had disappeared to! The news spread like wildfire through the palace. Not only did the maids spread it but so did Kelly's staff who had witnessed the whole event. Lina loudly declared that from now on no matter what anyone said the next idiot would simply get a fireball up his ass! No questions asked!

"That'll depend on whether Zel left enough of him for you to do that Lina!" Gourry laughed. Lina laughed in agreement with him and the two resumed their happy afternoon…

The rest of the afternoon went by peacefully and eventually Amelia and Zel left to go talk to Phil. Zel had been prepared to defend his actions. The only thing he was sorry about was that he didn't hit Charmles harder! But to their surprise Phil knew everything that had happened and had already scolded Charmles. He congratulated Zelgadis on showing self-restraint. He also congratulated Zel on how well he did at the luncheon! The Prime Minister had been very impressed and Amelia was positively glowing with happiness!

The banquet at dinner time went by fairly cheerfully. At the ball that night Amelia refused to dance with anyone but Zel. The prince-lings seethed! Because of the events in the garden no one noticed as in a corner of the ballroom Raven's prophecy was fulfilled and Gaston and Akmed made their wicked plans. Zel was the hero! Even Raven had forgotten all about her vision as she helped spread the story in town that afternoon. So it did not surprise Zel to discover later that evening on Amelia's balcony that Anzu had found yet another way to spy on them. He was tired so he let it go for now…

And for the record...he shouldn't have!

* * *

The next morning Gen. Walker woke him up before sunrise to take him out to the training ground and break in a few of the new recruits. So after having breakfast with the general and some of his commanders he returned to the palace. He had a quick bath and changed into the next outfit that according to the note pinned to the jacket was picked out by Raven to compliment Amelia's riding suit.

'Raven's really pulling out all the stops isn't she?' Brau commented amused as Zel dressed. Amelia had mentioned yesterday that her over-eager fashion expert had to restrain herself from showing off her skills. Raven had explained to her that it was because those "fashion challenged" idiots wouldn't know who to compliment a girl properly to save their lives! She didn't want to waste her artistic talent on people who couldn't properly appreciate it!

'You know Raven does have a point… Why should Amelia show off around people who don't really care?' Brau pointed out as he went to find his Amelia and his friends. Well Zel had no such impediments! He could certainly appreciate Amelia's wardrobe!

'Hey do you remember that little "hero of justice: May" costume!' Brau reminisced as Golem sighed dreamily.

'She wore it last year again during the costume ball at the beginning of harvest season!' Golem added in a soft rumble. Oh yea he remembered and that little white skirt was much shorter than he recalled from the first time he saw it! He doubted Raven had anything to do with that.

'And the shirt was a little tighter too!' Brau laughed. He was certain that had nothing to do with Raven's fashion instincts either. Yes she had grown quite nicely indeed he thought and allowed himself a slight smile. He caught up with them in the grand ballroom where Amelia was busy lecturing the prince-lings about how selfish and rude they have been all week! He greeted Zangalus, Gourry, Lina and Martina amicably and turned his attention to Amelia's speech.

He quickly scanned the crowd and took note of where Charmles, Gaston and Akmed were. Charmles shrunk slightly behind Auron as he noticed Zel looking at him. The old guardian seemed to be trying hard not to laugh at him.Auron turned and nodded towards Zel. Tidus was nowhere to be seen and Zel noticed that neither was Yuna. Gaston and Akmed weren't really paying attention to Amelia. They did look up to glare at him and Zel smiled challenge glowing in his eyes.

'Bring it!' he thought as Golem and Brau laughed. He turned away then putting them out of his mind for now. He had not forgotten Raven's prophecy he was just simply not concerned.

'More concerned about where Amelia is right now Zel!' Golem warned seriously. Amelia in her self-righteous anger had climbed onto a tall ladder. Granted she wasn't wearing a dress today so she was less likely to trip but Amelia's landing skills were…well… not so good. He sighed and pushed forward through the crowd towards Amelia's precarious perch. Just in case…

'She has gotten better though,' Brau defended. It was true she didn't fall off as often but over the years he had developed a myriad of techniques for keeping Amelia from getting hurt by her weird quirk of always wanting to be standing on the tallest perch she could find when giving one of her "justice for all" speeches. Ten times out of ten it was Zel who would have to catch her. He didn't mind though! Brau and Golem calmly discussed the many techniques that they had developed. They ranged anywhere from the simple "hold out arms and catch" to some very complex maneuvers depending on situation and location.

'My favorite is the "Fighting fall"…We haven't used that one in a while though,' Brau commented. The "Fighting Fall" as they called it was a complicated technique they used in heavily wooded areas. Amelia would climb on a tree and sure enough when she tripped or stumbled Zel would jump, catch her in mid-air, use the branch she fell off of to wind up a powerful kick for the nearest bad guy then slide the rest of the fall sword in hand to cut down any enemies within reach. Very flashy!

'That's because Amelia knows better now than to climb on a tree when her friends are in the middle of a melee! Duh!' Golem defended indignant. Zel smiled as the two continued their banter and he watched as Amelia climbed on to the final precarious step in the ladder and with fists on her hips she continued her righteous tirade. He pushed further through the crowd trying to get closer to the ladder. He noticed that as Amelia ranted angrily her foot was sliding off the step. He sighed he knew she was going to fall and he had better be there! He pushed harder…

As he finally reached the bottom of the ladder Amelia's foot finally slipped off and she lost her balance. The prince-lings standing nearest Zelgadis dove away to keep from being smashed by Amelia's falling body but Zel calmly held out his arms and easily caught her letting his arms drop and his knees bend just a little to soften the fall. He smiled at her…

"Good Morning," he greeted calmly. She returned his smile and greeting sweetly and not caring that all the prince-lings were watching she reached up to kiss him full on the lips. Well if those princes had any hopes remaining they were immediately dashed. Zel's simple rescue had thrown into sharp contrast their inadequacies. They were diving away to save their own hides while Zel had calmly stood his ground to protect Amelia.

But spoiled as they were they refused to back away! They grumbled angrily as Zel put Amelia down but her lips remained locked with his for a few seconds longer. She finally released him and then turned to continue giving the loser gang a piece of her mind. Auron's laughter cut her off…

"Take your defeat like men and walk away with some dignity!" he taunted in his deep solemn voice at the assembled spoiled princes. Then with a slight nod and smirk to Zel he turned and sauntered away calmly with Charmles close at his heels. Amelia giggled…

"Auron's so cool!" she laughed Zel laughed and nodded. Her friends finally joined her then as the princes dispersed. They had themselves a laugh at the loser gang's expense. Zel cast about looking for Akmed and Gaston but he could no longer see them. He wondered how long they'd been gone…

Gaston and Akmed had not stayed to listen to the end of Amelia's speech they were busy raising to Zel's challenge… or trying to anyway! No one gave them much thought…except for Zel. He never lets his guard down after all!

And off went the gossip mill! The palace maidswere becoming extremely popular in town. Once more Zel was the hero of the ongoing fairytale and the people in town just couldn't get wait for the next chapter!

Too bad for Zel…

* * *

"Totally in love" is the translation of the title of this chapter. I chose to write it in Spanish because it sounds cornier on Chayanne's lips! Who is Chayanne? He is a Hispanic singer who is a million times hotter than Ricky Martin has ever or will ever be… not to say that I don't love Ricky Martin! I do! He's just not in Chayanne's league! (sigh) But I think you need to have been raised in a south or Central American country to fully appreciate his beauty!

Speaking of men I love (aside from my husband!) I met Crispin Freemen today! (squeals in girlish delight!) He is so hot! I got to take a picture with him and he autographed my season one of Slayers! squeals in girlish delight some more

I was at AX2006 with my friends and my husband and we saw him yesterday at one of the panels where those who attended that panel got a ticket to come back today and get an autograph! He spelled my name correctly without being told and he wrote "Rah Tilt" and "Zelgadis" before and after his name! I'm still geeking out about it! YAY! (squeals in girlish delight once more!) He has the most amazing voice! He did an Orlando Bloom impression that was positively eerie! sigh

Oh and the next Hellsing is coming out in December! Yay! (squeals in girlish delight yet again!) Sorry can't help my self! He's just so beautiful!

Ok anyway this chapter is still more set up…

The gritty stuff will come next!

Thank you so much for reading and reviewing!


	11. What we have here

**Zelgadis Greywords and the Magic of Carealot**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own: Slayers or anything else that ends up on this story! There are way too many crossovers for me to list them all so I'm not gonna!

**Nougatch-Hemlock:** is a poison that Capt. Janeway says one of the Q's staying on her ship used to kill him self. Apparently it is so horrible that even the advanced technology of the federation has no antidote! I'm not sure whether it is a fictional poison or not. Trek can be very tricky with their pseudo-science! At any rate this is a fictional story so I am doing my homage to my beloved Voyager through that little cameo! Yay!

I need help…If you had to name Martina and Zangalus' little girls what names would you give them? For the life of me I can't come up with anything that sounds like it belongs in Slayer's world. Maybe Mary Kate and Ashley...

I'm kidding! I swear!

Ok on with the show…

* * *

**Episode 7: "What we have here is a failure to communicate…" – Cool hand Luke**

* * *

The thing with fairytales is that people just can't get enough! It's all very cheesy but it gives people something simple and cheerful to talk about. It brings the most unlikely people together. The highest born most refined lady could be seen chatting cheerfully with a local tavern wench because she was more likely to have heard the latest developments from one of her "friends" in the palace guard. People in Saillune forgot class distinctions and came together as one. A miracle of love…

Ah love…Ain't it _grand_!

Unfortunately Zel ain't getting any!

It sucks to be the hero when you want to be "the boyfriend" and do "boyfriend things" with your girlfriend and there's twenty maids lurking about polishing doorknobs waiting for the next chapter!

It sucks to be the hero when you think you finally got away for a moment only to find that they found some other way to spy on you!

It sucks to be the hero when you get pulled into a dark closet by your pretty girlfriend and just when things are about to get _interesting_ there comes yet another nosy well-meaning little maid or handmaiden looking for the next hot scoop!

_It sucks! _

'**_What good is it to be the "hero" when everyone is watching your every move?' _**

'Easy Zel!' Brau tried to reason with an already wound up Zelgadis as he threw the bed sheets off of himself and got up just as the sun was rising. He stomped towards his bath and out of a slight bit of rebellion he refused to wear the fashionable outfit Raven sent for him. Instead he pulled out his regular clothes! Last night he'd nearly lost his cool with Anzu after he found another shell-like listening device. It was the fourth one in as many days! He chose instead to walk away and let Amelia deal with it.

'She doesn't mean any harm you know…' Golem added in an attempt to appease his hot-headed counterpart.

'Are you sure about that!' Zel thought angrily. Like a typical broody boy Zel misinterpreted their enthusiasm. To a broody boy like Zel all this attention was suddenly seen as a form of distrust toward him. Because like all broody boys his motto is: _The world is out to get me_! You can't really blame those broodies for their paranoia though 'cause nine times out of ten _it is_!

'Besides she's their future queen…It comes with the territory,' Brau added but he didn't sound happy with his own reasoning. Zel sighed heavily as he went through his morning routines. He had thought about that at first but after a while he became suspicious because it seemed they were over-doing it! They never made this much of a fuss when Phil and Amelia were being targeted for assassination or any special occasion! Why should this be any different!

So because of all this attention he hadn't been able to sit and have a serious and private conversation with Amelia. He'd been away for six months and during his journeys he'd had plenty of time alone to think. He felt in the past four years that he had changed. Not just in the way his powers worked but in the way he looked at his life. True he'd been in denial trying to convince him self that he didn't need anyone. But from the moment Amelia's lips touched his he knew he couldn't go back to the way he was.

His life until now has been nothing but an endless road. He was a man trying to leave behind a painful past and avoiding an empty future on never ending roads. He concentrated on immediate destinations so as to not dwell on the fact that he had no where really to be and no one waiting for him. There was no "home" to go back to or family to visit. So when your life doesn't allow you to dream of simple things you tell yourself you don't need them. They are a useless waste of time or so he had told himself they were!

But who was he kidding though? He did want a home… A place to belong to and protect… A place where he could love and be loved… A place where he could be himself without fear of rejection or persecution… He loved Amelia because of her ability to see past his faults and accept him as he is. He liked Saillune because the people were open-minded enough to see the man he is and not just Rezo's spell. Amelia represented everything he so desperately desired and had told himself many times he couldn't have. He had spent so much time and effort burying his feelings that now that they were surfacing they were beginning to overwhelm him.

He needed to share all of this with Amelia. He needed her to understand what he wanted and how he felt. More importantly he needed to know what _she_ wanted! When he left six months ago she was still talking about traveling and seeing the world being miss crusader for justice! Is that still what she wanted to do? Parliament was pressuring to get her on the throne…however…how will being on that throne change Amelia's plans? Has she thought at all about marriage and family? Or is it too soon still for her to even consider that subject?

He wanted to know but how could he pour his heart out? How could he talk to her about his deepest and most secret hopes and fears when no sooner do words leave his mouth when they're all over the street market gossip mill! It was frustrating to say the least! If Amelia wasn't quite ready he was ok with it. He could wait. He could be patient if he needed to be. But he needed to _know_! He just needed to know and it was frustrating that he couldn't talk to her without his every word and action being dissected by the entire country!

'We just need to be patient…Once her birthday celebrations are over everything will calm down and we can clear all of that up!' Golem suggested in a sad little rumbling tone. Not being able to spend much time alone with Amelia was taking a toll on Golem the most! He finally pulled on his regular boots and left the room. He would have to hurry to Amelia's room. He would only have a few minutes before his friends showed up to have breakfast with them.

All in all if it weren't for Amelia's soft lips and eager embrace he would put this week in the category of: The worst week **_ever_**! It was simply awful to spend your days discussing military strategy with old generals or surprise guest speaking at Saillune's Military Academy. Being ambushed by lobbyists and aspiring politicians on his way to lunch with his friends was no picnic either. Dodging journalists and nosy maids while keeping an eye out for Phil's not so subtle tests of character was definitely no fun at all!

It took some effort to keep his neutral expression in place as he made his way. Fortunately no one noticed how "out of sorts" he was this morning. They were too distracted by the fact that he was wearing his regular clothes rather than one of the many fancy outfits that Raven had prepared for him. Yuffie opened the door to Amelia's quarters and couldn't hide her surprise at not seeing him in one of Raven's creations. His morning greeting was just a few degrees cooler than normal and Yuffie did not miss _that_!

"Her highness will be out in a few minutes. Would you like some tea?" she asked cautiously. He answered wordlessly with a shake of his head and leaned on the balcony to wait for Amelia. Surprisingly enough Zel's only amusement was those two bumbling idiots that tried unsuccessfully to assassinate him. He smirked in amusement. It was a joke really!

Their first lame attempt had been to create a rock avalanche when he rode out to meet with Amelia and his friends for a picnic. It had been easy for him to simply order the stones to stop and pile themselves safely and neatly at the bottom of the cliff he was riding past rather than sweep him away – horse and all – and crush him. One of the new powers he received from Golem allowed him to control the earth element without the need for help from spells. He chuckled slightly.

Their next lame attempt was to put poison on his soup bowl. It was so pathetic that he had actually seen their hired flunky put the drops of Nougatch-Hemlock in his bowl before everyone sat down to dinner. He could've cast a spell to turn the soup into clean water but where's the fun in that! He actually drank most of it and cast the water spell on what remained so as to not endanger any of the dogs that get the table scraps. He excused himself early from the dinner table feigning a stomach ache. He informed Capt. Kaiba of who the current culprit was and said person was immediately arrested.

The poison should've killed him within a few minutes but thanks to the abilities afforded to him through Brau he was impervious to all poisons and curses. He had to give them one thing though: they covered their tracks well! Every single would-be assassin caught could not identify their employer. Not even with truth spells or potions! The look on their faces when Zel appeared unharmed at the ball later that evening had been priceless! He smiled as he wondered what sort of pathetic attempt they would come up with next…

* * *

Yuffie returned to Amelia's bedroom with a confused look on her face.

"What is it Yuffie? Is Zel here yet?" Amelia asked concerned.

"Yes Princess but he doesn't seem himself…he seems a bit…distant this morning," she replied hesitantly. She turned to Raven and told her he wasn't wearing the outfit she sent for him this morning.

"What! Why! Is there something wrong with it!" the girl fretted nervously.

"How should I know? I didn't ask! He had a scary look on his face when I opened the door," Yuffie replied annoyed. Amelia laughed.

"It's ok Raven! Zel's just probably tired of all the attention. He likes to keep a low profile all the publicity is probably starting to get to him," she explained calmly. Her handmaidens didn't seem reassured by her explanations as they exchanged wary glances.

"Don't worry! He just needs a little break that's all! It'll be fine!" she reassured cheerfully and left the room. As soon as she was gone Anzu busted out her fifth listening device. Lord Greywords was not acting like himself and this definitely qualified as a hot scoop! Mai yanked it away from her before she could activate it.

"You people are getting carried away with this! We already lost a week's wages because of this incessant spying and I don't want to lose any more!" Mai lectured angrily. Jessie stood and agreed with Mai reminding them that Amelia had threatened that the next time she caught them spying it would be a month's pay! Yuffie rolled her eyes and snatched the device back.

"Stop being a wet blanket!" she retorted and handed the device back to Anzu. Raven put her hand on the device to stop Anzu.

"Jessie and Mai are right you guys," she said seriously. Chelsea nodded her agreement.

"Yea…how would you feel if you're out with your boyfriend and all your friends are watching everything you do and listening in to everything you guys say?" she added. The girls frowned as they considered Chelsea's words.

"Wow…that would suck!" Lisa put in contritely.

"I hadn't thought of it like that!" Yuffie admitted guiltily. Anzu sighed and with a penitent look on her face she put the device away.

"Let's go down stairs and leave them alone for a little while," she suggested solemnly. They all agreed and they left Amelia's room together. Anzu went to let Amelia know they would wait for her downstairs. She shrunk a bit at the suspicious look Zel cast at her and flinched at the lack of a smile on Amelia's face. She curtsied quickly and practically fled from the balcony. Her curiosity was ruining the fairytale! She vowed she would make it up to her princess as they left…

* * *

Amelia walked out into the balcony. Zel was leaning against the rail smirking mischievously. He turned when she arrived and smiled more fully for her. She returned his smile and eagerly accepted his embrace. He sighed heavily as they sat down and Amelia looked up at him concerned.

"Are you ok?" she asked studying him curious. He opened his mouth to say something but promptly closed it and shook his head.

"I'm just tired," he replied. She frowned and shook her head.

"There's something on your mind that you're not telling me," she countered patiently. He smiled tiredly and cast a quick glance back into the room. He could sense the presence of another one of Anzu's little devices.

"Nothing that can't wait…" he replied resignedly pulling her close and they wrapped their arms around each other once more. Amelia frowned…

"They're not listening…" she began but she was uncertain. Her handmaidens were sometimes a little _too_ determined! Especially Yuffie and Anzu!

"So maybe they're watching?" he countered unable to keep a little teeny bit of bitterness from creeping into his voice. Amelia squeezed him a little tighter.

"I'm sorry Amelia…It doesn't matter… It's nothing that can't wait," he reassured her as he held her tight. He kissed her deeply then not caring anymore who was watching or listening. He wanted her to know somehow just how much he needed her. Their kiss came to an abrupt halt as Anzu approached timidly to inform Amelia that she and the rest of the girls would be downstairs waiting for her.

Zel studied her with suspicion. He wondered whether she managed to create a device that could listen from all the way down there. The girl blushed guiltily and then curtsied and fled the balcony. Amelia smiled at him but the suspicious look on his face didn't go away right away. At the rate this whole thing was spiraling out of control he figured he'd have to take Amelia to another world in order to get some privacy!

"That's it!" he suddenly exclaimed. Amelia looked confused for a moment.

"Amelia, tomorrow when I go to Carealot to get the Care family why don't you come with me!" he suggested excitement lighting his eyes again. She smiled enthusiastically.

"What a great idea! Yes! We'll leave after breakfast! We'll stay all morning at least!" Amelia enthused; her good cheer restored. Zel smiled with his confidence restored. He kissed her again looking forward eagerly to tomorrow…

* * *

Lina and Gourry were the only ones to come to breakfast with them. Martina and Zangalus decided on spending time with the children before she had to go and attended to her duties. Filia and Val were having breakfast in town with Capt. Kaiba and his little brother Mokuba. It was a minor miracle that the man was actually taking part of the morning off. Very likely Val and Mokuba ganged up on him and guilted him into it! Sylphiel was spending an awful lot of time with Lord Dincht so once again she had not come around for breakfast. As Zelgadis sat down to have breakfast with his friends he envied Sylphiel and Zell for a second.

'Yea…I bet nobody spies on them!' Brau commented crossly.

'He's so lucky…he gets to spend all kinds of time with _his_ love and nobody bothers him,' Golem added envious. He had seen the goofy-happy look on Zell Dincht's face yesterday when he was working out with the rest of the guys. Once he was done he had rushed away without even talking to anyone. Not even his best friends Squall and Cloud!

His week seemed to hit rock bottom then. Gourry had left to go shopping with Lina and Zangalus went to collect his kids from the daycare center and go spend some time with them. Squall and Cloud left to find their wives and he was left all alone. Gen. Walker invited him to go have lunch with him and Commander Trebek but Zelgadis had politely declined.

He figured the general was just trying to be polite perhaps because he realized that with Amelia busy with her duties Zel had been completely left out. But pride aside he really didn't feel like having his brain picked apart by Walker and his commanders. By now Zel had realized that Walker was just helping Phil out in determining how good Zel would be for both Saillune and Amelia. A sensible thing to be sure any good father would do but Zel was sick and tired of having to watch his back constantly and monitoring carefully everything he said and heard!

He had instead locked himself in the library trying not to be angry and feel sorry for him self. The librarian had been more accommodating than usual and let him have her office so that he would have some privacy. He had skipped lunch and spent nearly all day browsing through thick volumes of Saillune history. If the librarian hadn't come to remind him of the dinner he was supposed to attend that evening with Phil and Amelia he would've spent the rest of the evening there brooding silently.

Amelia was to meet Martina and several other princesses for another meeting with the Prime Minister today. Then there were other obligations she would have to see to. She had a pretty full schedule! Zel decided that he would go find something to do on his own until tonight. The palace guards were throwing Amelia a birthday party and Zel was actually looking forward to it. Unlike all the stuffy balls and luncheons he had to suffer through this week he knew that party would actually be cool!

The palace guards were legendary with their parties and Zel actually preferred them. Mind you getting an invite to this party was not easy! If you were not cool you were not invited. It didn't matter how rich or high-born you were. If you were not a fun person you were not allowed in. Period! They had the best food according to Lina and as far as he was concerned the most easy going atmosphere. That party was the talk this morning at the table! Well he was talking because as usual Lina Gourry and Amelia were ravaging the breakfast table…

* * *

Much too soon did breakfast come to an end. He figured that before anyone realized that he was yet again being left out he would leave the palace. Pity was something he could not stand! Excessive pride is a broody boy's greatest fault after all so he made sure he would be the first to leave! Most of the prince-lings had left so he need not worry about Amelia. Capt. Kaiba's men would take good care of her while he was gone.

Only Charmles, Pavan and a few others had remained to save face by joining Amelia's committee for the formation of a formal league of nations. Gaston and Akmed had of course remained under the pretense of the league but Zel knew it was to continue attempting to settle their bet! Amelia was in no danger. He was their target and he knew she could take good care of herself. He decided he'd pay a visit to the Ingalls. He pulled Amelia aside and let her know where he was going. He gave her a kiss goodbye promising to see her tonight at the guard's party and teleported directly from Amelia's balcony to the front gate of Farmer John's house.

"Master Zelgadis!" Little Laura called out cheerfully as she spotted him. The stone fence she and her brothers had been building looked like it had finally been completed. As Laura called out for her parents and her brothers he instantly began to feel the stress of the past few days melting away. He ruffled the little girl's hair and allowed himself to be mobbed by her and her brothers. Their mother invited him to accompany them to the fields and he gladly went along. He figured a little manual labor would be just the thing to release some of this tension built up inside him.

"Can you teach me a new spell Master Zelgadis?" Laura asked hopeful. He smiled and patted her on the head.

"Sure Laura! After we help in the fields," he replied surprising him self with the soft paternal tone that came out of his mouth.

'Why does it surprise you Zel? She's a piece of us,' Brau reasoned calmly. It was true! In order to create Laura's new body Zel used a portion of him self so technically you could say Laura was _their_ little child too. He smiled as the little girl jumped around happily and hurried off into the corn fields with her siblings. Her father was already out in the fields and he waved cheerfully at Zel. He trotted up to join them feeling at peace as he took up a place in the Ingall's routine…

* * *

Amelia sighed as Zel disappeared from her balcony. Once more she'd be stuck with all the preparations and paperwork required for her coronation along with all her other duties while Zel would be off somewhere where she couldn't reach him. It was frustrating! But despite all that she could say she was having the best week of her life! Her idea for the League of Nations was starting to take off. All her friends had gathered for her 21st birthday and Zel was the most awesome boyfriend a girl could ask for!

He was charming, considerate, exotically handsome and a great kisser…_sigh_…Not to mention smart! After all daddy had been going on and on about how well Zel could word fence with the oldest and sneakiest of politicians! And Gen. Walker and his commanders were impressed with his ability to strategize on the spot! He could side swipe even the most determined of journalists, dodge the most eager lobbyists and he was a very eloquent public speaker according to the headmaster at the academy.

'He's perfect!' she sighed wishing she could've gone with him… She envied Sylphiel and that distracted dreamy look on her face yesterday morning. She had a hard time hiding her jealousy as Zell Dincht showed up and Sylphiel gladly skipped away with him. However because of her hectic schedule she hardly got to spend any time with her Zel and when they were alone he was so…passive! She had listened with a touch of envy as her girl friends discussed some of the intimacies they shared with their men.

She wanted to do those things with Zel too! She wanted him to more _aggressive_ and at first she thought he was just too much of a gentleman to make those kinds of bold moves! This morning she finally realized why he wasn't and she could kick herself for not noticing sooner! How can you get "physical" with someone who is spied on 24/7? Of course she should've realized what Zel was capable of especially after that memorable – yet rudely interrupted – incident in the storage closet of her office. Tonight she would fix that!

* * *

Zel returned late that evening. He had skipped the formal dinner and instead ate with the Ingalls. He teleported into his room to wash up and change there would be no ball to attend tonight so he chose his most comfortable outfit and shoes. Again _not_ one of Raven's creations! He left his room and headed straight for Amelia's room. Lina, Gourry and Filia were there and the rest of his friends would meet them at the party.

When they arrived at the academy's auditorium the party was already in full swing. He pulled Amelia into the dance floor right away and they happily threw themselves into the cheerful frenzy!

'Tomorrow!' he affirmed to himself. Golem and Brau echoed his affirmation. Yes tomorrow he would explain everything! After all what better place to share his feelings than in place that exists solely for that very purpose: To help people share their feelings. He had a good feeling about tomorrow!

* * *

In the immortal words of Lionel Richie: "There's a party goin' on right here! A celebration to last throughout the year...Celebrate good times come on!" Yea right like it's ever that easy when you're dealing with a broody boy! They can be such a pain in the patella!

Well whatever! In any event…

LET'S PARTAY! WHOO HOOO!

Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Now on to the next chapter!


	12. Insert: Dragon Talk

**Zelgadis Greywords and the Magic of Carealot**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own: Slayers or anything else that ends up on this story! There are way too many crossovers for me to list them all so I'm not gonna!

Now…where were we? Ah yes! It's party time in Saillune!

YEA PARTY TIME! CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES COME ON!

* * *

**Insert: Dragon Talk… **

* * *

Filia sat quietly in a corner of the auditorium where the younger members of the palace staff and guard along with cadets from Saillune's royal military academy were throwing Amelia the most raucous and misbehaved party she'd ever seen! 

'Why am I here?' she asked herself and not for the first time! She usually never accepted Amelia's invitations to the party but Amelia had begged her to come because it was her 21st birthday and it was VERY important. Now she knew why she never agreed to come to these parties! It also gave her insight as to why the very formal and polite Capt. Kaiba never invited her. It was rather a shock to see him in this setting! It's true she'd always been a tiny bit resentful of the fact she never got an invitation from him but now she understood!

Seto was out on the dance floor with Yuffie. She seemed to be getting a little too "friendly" with him. Not that Seto seemed to mind he soon switched partners and the next girl wasn't anymore restrained than Yuffie was! Her hands were all over the human captain and Filia struggled to understand why it bothered her that he was being man-handled by all those women! He was quite popular in fact. She decided she would leave soon this was not the place for her!

Seto seemed to finally become aware that he was being watched. He looked around pulling his current partner off of him who scampered off to find herself another toy. Surprised Seto noticed the very demure Miss Filia sitting alone in a corner of the auditorium. He could've sworn she had been watching him just a second ago and she seemed to be trying to look anywhere but at him. He cut through the throng of party goers like a shark in the water heading straight for the solitary bench Filia was sitting in with an untouched cup of punch in her hands.

"Miss Filia…what are you doing here?" he asked her surprise quite evident in his voice and his face. Filia just shrugged and tried to look casual.

"Amelia begged me to come," she replied simply. He sat down next to her.

"I'm surprised Miss Filia. This really isn't the sort of place I thought you'd feel comfortable in…" he began and Filia could tell he had switched back to the polite and heavily restrained captain of the guard she was used to talking to!

'Oh so _that_ is why he never invites me? How thoughtful of him!' she thought. She smiled at him then.

"May I ask you a question captain?" she began and he could've sworn she was blushing. He shrugged

"Sure," he replied simply and nodded.

"Why do you let those women use you like that? They don't seem to really care about you!" she asked suddenly catching Seto by surprise. He could swear he heard a bit of resentment in her voice but immediately dismissed the idea. A dragon couldn't seriously take an interest in a lowly human like him. She was probably just curious…yea that's it! Just curious!

"It's just stress relief Miss Filia it's not supposed to mean anything," he explained seriously. She frowned.

"Well that doesn't seem right! I mean Amelia is always talking about love and loyalty…I don't know…It just doesn't seem very loyal behavior…"she replied truly looking confused. Seto sighed heavily. How do you explain things to a being so far above your status? It's like a rat trying to explain to a human why it likes to live in a sewer! It's impossible! But he would try anyway…

"I am a soldier…a human soldier. We live hard lives and die young most of the time," he began seriously "but when we're here we don't have to think about that. We can just feel alive! We need that sort of relief otherwise we lose our focus and our will to fight on," he smiled sadly and turned to her.

"Unlike you Miss Filia…You will probably go on forever and you definitely don't need a place like this to reaffirm your focus or your will to live. A being like you is too good for this place," he stated with a sad faraway look in his eyes. Filia opened her mouth to deny it after all no one was supposed to know she and Val were really dragons!

"I saw your tail," he declared with a tiny smirk of amusement before she could say anything and she did blush deeply then.

"Don't worry Miss Filia your secret is safe with me! I've known since the first time you visited!" He chuckled slightly as she fidgeted nervously. There was a certain innocence to her…a purity of being that was irresistible to Seto. She was free of all human weaknesses and he despised the fact that he couldn't be strong enough to get rid of his weaknesses! During his youth he had heard many stories about dragons and had longed to go out and adventure in hopes of maybe one day meeting a dragon. Not just any old dragon but a golden dragon! Like Filia…

When he received his first promotion and heard the rumors of Amelia's adventures regarding the most powerful of dragons he had worked all that much harder to be close to the princess' palace staff in hopes he might someday get his wish. When he first saw her he _knew_! He couldn't explain how he knew but he _knew_! Seeing her tail peek out of the bottom of her dress was simply confirmation. And Val had simply blurted it out one day when he was playing with Mokuba. Little Val was so at ease with them now that he would even shed his human disguise when only Seto and Mokuba were around!

"Thank you for not telling! I don't want to attract attention! Who knows what trouble it might start?" she replied nervously and again he just smiled wistfully.

'I would die before letting anyone hurt you!' Seto thought as he smiled at her.

"Still Captain…it doesn't seem fair that they don't seem to care about you! Or you about them!" Filia countered confused. He sighed heavily again.

"It's not that I don't care! These people are my co-workers and I do care about these people…people whose lives may depend on them trusting me and vice versa," he began feeling a little flustered at a loss as to how to get his point across without inadvertently offending her and/or alienating her. Filia seemed so naive sometimes!

"So by letting them do these things to you…you demonstrate that you trust them…Is that it?" Filia deduced wondering why she still felt disturbed by it. He nodded and smiled in that sad way that seemed out of character for him. It made her want to reach for him and comfort him somehow but she held back. _That _would most certainly be out of character for _her_!

They sat in amicable silence for a minute. The music shifted to a soft romantic ballad. On the dance floor Zel held Amelia close and she just looked up at him dreamy eyed and happy. Lina leaned contentedly against Gourry's chest and Martina and Zangulus had stopped for a moment in their dancing to kiss. Filia sighed sat back and closed her eyes for a moment. She was truly happy for her friends they deserved every bit of happiness they found in each other.

It disturbed her however that Seto who had been such a good friend to her and Val from the minute they set foot in Saillune was not happy. He deserved happiness too seeing after all how hard he worked at making sure everyone around him trusted him and did their best. He seemed to be looking out for other people's peace and happiness by sacrificing his own. It didn't seem fair. She turned to him once more and he was watching her with an intensity that always made her feel a bit giddy and self-conscious. She couldn't understand why.

"But captain isn't there even one among them that you hold above all the others? Like Zelgadis with Amelia and Gourry with Lina," she added truly perplexed. He chuckled again and shook his head.

'No one could hold a candle to you Miss Filia!' he thought sadly "no… there is not…" he replied sadly. Filia merely replied with a soft "oh I see" and casually observed the partygoers asking her self why she was feeling relieved that he had no one special among them. These thoughts were suddenly too strange for her to deal with. She decided then that it was time for her to go back to Val.

"Well I think I better get back to Val now captain. Thank you for your company! It's always nice to talk to you!" she smiled cheerfully and stood. He stood with her and nodded solemnly.

"The pleasure was all mine Miss Filia," he intoned gravely. She smiled and silently he escorted her to a side entrance and held the door open for her. She exited and she winked out of existence teleporting herself directly back to her room. Seto closed the door behind him and threw himself back into the raucous party with wild abandon trying hard not to think about her magical smile or her pretty blond locks that for a moment he'd desperately wanted to touch…

* * *

Ahhh Seto Kaiba! If ever there was a character that really needs a hug it is most definitely him! At any rate if you're not familiar with Yugioh…Seto is a psycho little bishonen who is thoroughly obsessed with his dragon cards. To the point of being willing to kill for them! He is completely overzealous on the protection of his dragons, his brother and his company! (In that order! Scary boy!) 

So I translated that here into a severe crush on Filia (the only dragon around), fatherly instincts towards little Val and of course Mokuba and a serious obsession with the ultimate perfection in the performance of his job…don't really know where it will all end though…

My sincere apologies however…carpal tunnel pains and a severe lack of time due to excessive work (I work at a bank – no such thing as bankers' hours anymore!) have prevented me from getting as far as I wanted too this time. sighI was hoping by the time I got to posting this I could start with the seriously cool stuff that I'm dying to write but alas it must wait one more post…

Again my apologies I will post soon!

Thanks for reading and reviewing!


	13. Somewhere I belong

**Carealot Strikes Back!**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own: Slayers or anything else that ends up on this story! There are way too many crossovers for me to list them all so I'm not gonna!

**EXTREME WARNING: **YAY! I FINALLY GOT TO WRITE THIS CHAPTER! It is the fluffiest most cheesy and heart endangering full of sugar chapter in the whole story! YAY! So if the previous chapters didn't kill ya this one just might! By no means is it the end actually the end is pale in comparison in my opinion but it is finally here and I am happy! Oh by the way it is quite limey so if you're like Dr. Mackay and are deathly allergic to citrus please stop reading _now_! So basically if you are offended by such things please read no further. Thank you for reading thus far however!

Bat Bogey Curse: a spell expertly used in the Harry Potter books by Ginny Weasley to punish some bothersome slytherins!

You know I find it ironic that the angst masters of Linkin Park are the ones providing me with a perfect title (sigh) Oh well on with the show!

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**Episode 8:**

_I wanna heal! I wanna feel! What I thought was never real! I wanna let go of the pain I felt so long – _Erase all the pain 'til it's gone_ – I wanna heal! I wanna feel! Like I'm close to something real! I wanna find something I wanted all along!_

**_Somewhere I belong!"_**- Linkin Park

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It was well past midnight by the time the party started winding down and Lina, Martina and Amelia were thoroughly exhausted. Most people would say that swordsmen weren't good dancers especially the broody and mysterious kind but they would be wrong! To be a good swordsman you had to be light on your feet and have good rhythm. So dancing was really not much a stretch for a really good swordsman! Such was the case with Zel, Gourry and Zangalus much to there beloveds' delight!

"Amelia! Did you bring it?" Martina whispered conspiratorially. Amelia made Martina a recovery potion every year so she could have her strength back by the time she returned to her quarters. With the kids gone for tonight she would have her husband all to herself and she always had "plans" for him. Amelia giggled and produced three vials from her pocket.

"Three vials Amelia? What are _you_ up to?" Lina whispered conspiratorially as she took one for herself and downed it just as Martina had hers. Amelia blushed and downed her own. This year Lina had asked her for one too! She had "plans" for Gourry after all!

'You know full well what I'm up to Ms. Lina!' Amelia thought mischievously. The boys were outside cooling off by the well and waiting for them to come out. They were still inside the auditorium on the excuse that they wanted to sit and finish their punch. Rinoa and Aerith had done the same just minutes before leaving with their husbands!

"I wish Filia had stayed! This would work faster! Where the heck is Sylphiel when you need her anyway?" Martina grumbled. Lina groaned and stretched as she got up echoing Martina's complaints.

"Well they're waiting for us so let's get going!" Lina cheerfully declared as she scampered off to meet Gourry. Martina and Amelia happily followed her out. Amelia skipped along behind her friends with only one thought occupying her mind:

'Tonight Zelgadis will be all mine!' she cheerfully reminded herself as she skipped out to meet him…

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Martina threw herself on Zangalus' back and he carried her back home that way. Gourry picked Lina up and she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him as they walked back. It was the same scene every year except that this was the first year Lina actually kissed Gourry and didn't complain as she was being lifted by him.

Zel chuckled as he watched them and had barely enough time to react to his own greeting! Amelia jumped on him wrapping her arms and legs completely around him. He would've laughed except Amelia's lips were engulfing his at the moment making it difficult for him to concentrate on anything else! Her legs slid down as her grip on him finally loosened. Zel bent down and picked her up to carry her back to her room as he did every year after one of these exhausting yet fun parties except this year she reached up to kiss him every now and then.

'Funny how things change yet they stay the same?' Brau observed amused Zel and Golem agreed. He walked along side of his friends until they were inside the palace living quarters. They said their goodnights to each other and walked away in separate directions. He looked down at Amelia her eyes were closed but he knew she was awake. It was strange usually by the time they reach her room she's sound asleep!

He didn't think too hard on it. He was certain she was exhausted either way so there really wouldn't be a chance for him to talk to her tonight. He would come back after sunrise and they'd go to Carealot. All he needed was a little more time and a little more patience! He smiled at her as she opened her eyes and reached for the door handle to open the door for him.

That part was always tricky when she was asleep! He looked around the room and wondered where the maid that usually fell asleep waiting for Amelia wasn't there. He shrugged it off. Amelia was awake so he didn't think it would be a big deal if the old maid wasn't around to help him out. He carried her all the way to her bed as he usually did and laid her gently on it.

"Good night Amelia," he said softly as she reached up and grabbed his shirt to pull him towards her for one more kiss. He bent down willing to oblige her but she pulled him too hard and he lost his balance. If it weren't for his quick reflexes he would've crushed her with his full weight but he was able to catch himself on time. She wrapped her arms tight around his chest and pulled him towards her with strength that surprised Zel!

'She's stronger than she looks!' marveled Brau surprised.

Amelia didn't give Zel much of a chance to recover. She wrapped her legs around his and pulled him the rest of the way crushing the rest of Zel's short lived resistance. Any protests he could come up with were smothered by her lips and the continued assault of her tongue in his mouth. Her deft little fingers quickly undid his shirt and immediately began a reckless exploration of Zel's body her hands reaching as far down as her arms would let her. Zel was lost…

'No Zel! We have to stop!' Brau admonished seriously. Zel and Golem were unresponsive lost to Amelia's bold exploration of his body.

It was ironic to Brau that after spending four years of teasing about their sexual repression it was he who now had to stop the headlong flight Amelia's hands and his heightened emotional state was rushing them towards. Zel would regret it in the morning if he didn't stop now! There was too much that needed to be said and done before this step could be taken. He had to be the responsible one this time it was much too soon for this! He gathered as much mental power as he could muster and fired his psychic spike…

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Zel was hopelessly lost! Amelia's quick fingers had not only divested him of his shirt but undone his belt and the buttons on his pants as well. Not that he had remained idle! At some point Amelia had lost her blouse as well but Zel couldn't recall how that had happened. Her legs tightened around his thighs and she ground her hips against him. He groaned in ecstasy as he smothered her in another scorching kiss but just as he was reaching to rid them of the rest of their clothing obstacles Brau's mental spike hit him with the force of a hammer blow!

"Wh-what…what is it?" Amelia asked breathlessly as Zel sat up quickly holding his head and squeezing his eyes shut. He shook his head unable to respond right away. The fog of desire that had clouded most of his brain began lifting and Brau was shouting at him all the reasons why he shouldn't do this!

"Can't…too quick…" he stammered still holding his head trying to vocalize Brau's logic without much success as his head pounded painfully. She sat up and wrapped her arms around him smiling sweetly. She kissed him lightly.

"It's ok…we can take our time…" she began sweetly. Zel dropped his hands from his pounding head and put his arms around her breathing a sigh of relief. He couldn't allow himself to get carried away at least not yet. He held her tight trying to steady his breathing and get the pounding in his head to stop. He was glad that she understood.

"We have all night!" she concluded in a soft seductive tone. Zel started and pulled back a little.

"No Amelia…that's not what I meant…I think…" his protest was cut off once more by her addictive kisses.

"I think you think too much _Mr._ Zelgadis!" she teased and kissed him more ardently this time. It took a tremendous amount of willpower to pull her off and had to call on every ounce of self discipline to keep her lacy black bra or the soft marks he'd left near it from distracting him.

"No that's not what I meant…" he tried but was cut off once more by her incessant kisses. Again with great effort he pulled her off.

"We have to stop Amelia! It's too soon for this and you know it! We're just getting carried away by the moment! It's the wrong time for this," he pleaded and this time he moved away from her his eyes casting about for his discarded shirt as he re-buttoned his pants and re-buckled his belt. She stopped him once more as she snatched his shirt away before he could reach it. She looked up at him with dreamy eyes and a cute pout on her lips.

"Are you sure? I don't want to be alone… stay with me Zel," she pleaded holding his shirt behind her back and pouting at him in that cute way that was once more crumbling his resolve.

'Don't do it Zel!' Brau shouted sternly. He closed his eyes and took a deep steadying breath. It wasn't easy to say no! Pure joy and male pride surged through him at the thought of the one person whom he so deeply loved and desired wanted him bad enough that she wasn't even thinking about the consequences. That she didn't care what he was or whose grandson he might be to love him and want him in this manner made him happier than he could articulate. But Amelia always got carried away when she got an idea in her head and it fell to him to be the one who stayed grounded.

"No Amelia…I shouldn't…As much as I would want to you and I both know I should not stay," he countered regretfully. He looked around the floor for his boots wondering when the heck he'd taken them off. He pulled them on quickly glad for the excuse not to look at her pouting cutely at him.

"It's not fair!" she huffed annoyed but handed him back his shirt as he stood from the bed. Zel took it wordlessly and began pulling it back on somewhat reluctantly. She got up quickly then and wrapped her arms around his chest before he could close it. He sighed heavily as he held her torn between doing what he wanted and doing what he knew was right. He had to leave now!

"I have to go now…" he said softly but Amelia refused to release him.

"Just stay Zel! I want you to stay!" Amelia insisted looking up at him with pleading eyes.

"No Amelia I can't! You're not even thinking about the consequences! Everything you do affects the people around you! You're too important to me Amelia!" he countered sounding a bit desperate. With some effort he finally pulled himself away from her.

"You weren't protesting a minute ago!" she whined with her arms crossed under her breasts and pouting once more in that way that was quite effectively killing his more noble intentions. He steeled his resolve once more with Brau's help. He wondered where Golem went but Brau informed him he was unconscious. Amelia's roaming hands had been too much for Golem's psyche to handle.

"I'm sorry Amelia. I have to go now. Please understand…" he began to turn away but she grabbed his hand and stopped him.

"We're still going to Carealot later right? You're not gonna be broody and lock yourself away are you?" she asked softly smiling sweetly at him. She still couldn't understand why this wasn't working out the way she'd hoped it would. Ms. Lina had been certain that he would capitulate but it was obvious now that Zel was a much tougher nut to crack than most guys.

"Yes…after breakfast like I promised," he replied seriously pulling her hands up to his lips to put a soft kiss on her fingers. As he turned from her once more his magical senses picked up something familiar.

'One of Anzu's little devices!' Brau hissed angrily. His eyes went wide with shock and quickly he searched for the source. No way was he going to allow this incident to be the topic of conversation later today in the market! He had enough damn it! Amelia opened her mouth to ask him what happened but he stopped her with a finger laid gently on her lips. The magical amplification of sound was coming from a side wall that upon inspection looked like it was a secret door.

"No Zel! Don't open that!" Amelia tried to stop him but it was too late. She had magically locked the secret door that connected her room to Daddy's to keep her old man from interrupting her plans but Zel was a powerful sorcerer and he could easily undo her spell.

_POP!_

The door yielded to his silent magical command and his eyes bugged out as Phil's towering form tumbled into the room. In his hand was one of Anzu's listening shells. Amelia dove into the closet looking for something to cover herself with leaving Zel alone to face her father. Zel braced himself for whatever Phil would rightfully dish out. He blinked in surprise when Phil just laughed and patted him on the shoulder.

'Umm, what's going on?' Brau and Zel wondered. Phil was saying something to someone in his loud boisterous way but he wasn't talking to Zel. Zel for his part was too in shock to really pay attention to what Phil was saying. Zel looked inside Phil's room and realized that Walker and Trebek were just beyond the door trying to look anywhere but at him.

'…A test?' he wondered and looked for Amelia who had just bounced out of her closet fully dressed in her usual more conservative traveling outfit. She smiled and greeted her father cheerfully as though nothing was amiss happily asking him what he was doing there.

**_SNAP!_**

Lust turned quickly to rage as all the pieces came together in his mind. Here he was half way dressed his boots haphazardly pulled on. It was quite obvious to anyone who saw him what he'd been up to and they were just standing there laughing and talking like it was all some big _joke_! Just a happy little setup nothing more… _right_? Something kept going "tap, tap tap" on his shoulder and he realized it was Phil who kept patting him over and over again as he talked to Walker and Trebek. He wasn't even looking at Zel.

Wild rage was hardly ever productive. It was something he'd learned from Rezo. Being able to keep his cool in most situations was something Zel took great pride in! He gathered his rage and focused his mind forcing himself to think about how best to respond to this situation. If he started blasting away half the army would likely be here in seconds and everything he'd worked hard to achieve would be destroyed. Instead he took a deep breath and schooled his features into his usual neutral expression. He took a step back and Phil's next pat missed its mark.

"I am glad that I have been able to be of service to you…" he began his face completely impassive his voice incredibly calm and polite with the barest hint of sarcasm. Phil and Amelia just looked at him a bit confused. Walker took a step towards Phil he was the only one who noticed the storm of emotions that had brewed in Zel's eyes just a minute ago. Cordell couldn't really blame Zel he would feel just as humiliated if it were him! However he was sure Phil and Amelia didn't see it that way! Zel took another step back.

"I'm glad that I have been able to provide a worthy amusement for the members of the royal house of Seyruun as well as all the citizens of your country these past few days your highnesses," he continued his voice ever formal and polite but adding just a little more sarcasm and a dash of cynicism. Phil frowned uncertain as to what Zel was talking about. Zel took one more step back.

"I apologize but I am at this moment no longer able to provide you with any more entertainment and must adjourn for the time being," he concluded with his very calm polite tone dripping with sarcasm by now. He bowed deeply and formally. Walker burst the rest of the way into the room then…

"Wait Zel! You've got it wrong!" he exclaimed but he was too late. Zel cast his teleportation spell and disappeared in a swirl of white light. Phil and Amelia just looked at each other bewildered. Cordell turned to Trebek who at a gesture from Walker left the room in a hurry to find Kaiba and to check Zel's room and see what sort of damage control could be done.

"What just happened?" Amelia asked confused. Cordell shook his head and turned to Phil.

"I hate to say it your highness but I told you so…" Cordell began ruefully he had disagreed with all the trials Zel had been put through from the start. He had argued that in his case it wasn't necessary trying to dissuade Phil. He was a soldier however under Phil's service and in the end did as he was ordered. He pulled Amelia and Phil to a seat so he could explain. After all Cordell had once been a loner broody too and he could very well understand how Zel was feeling right now. He couldn't help feeling guilty for his part in Zel's accidental humiliation…

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A scream of utter anguish ripped from Zel's throat and reverberated through the empty halls of Rezo's abandoned treasure vault. It was the only place he could think of to retreat to. How ironic that it would be Rezo who would provide him in the end with the only refuge available to him? He collapsed onto the stone floor exhausted.

Teleportation required a lot of energy the farther you went and Rezo's vault was two weeks' travel away from Saillune capital city. Tonight he had expended quite a bit of it at the party then later in Amelia's room. It was the reason he hadn't teleported to Saillune when he finished making Amelia's gifts in Galbadia…he hadn't been left with enough magical power for a teleport right away.

'Maybe it's just a misunderstanding…' Golem began sadly as Brau caught him up with recent events. Zel's anger had brought him back to consciousness but even he – the usually optimistic Golem – didn't believe it. With some effort Zel picked himself up from the floor and stumbled towards the little office where he'd set up living quarters for the many days and nights he'd spent researching Amelia's gifts. He knew he had a spare set of clean clothes there. He stumbled about in the dark and found his spare. He conjured a little light spell and walked deeper into the vault down a passage that led to an underground spring. The water would be ice cold but it was just what he needed right now.

'You'll have to go back soon Zel,' Brau pointed out seriously. Zel agreed he'd never run from anything in his life and he wasn't going to start now! No matter how embarrassing or humiliating he had to return and face them.

'Let none say that Zelgadis Greywords ever ran from anything!' Brau hissed proudly. True even if the entire kingdom would know what happened in Amelia's room, knew how he'd been tricked and used and was laughing at him at this very moment he would return. He wanted to know at least why! He at least deserved an honest answer. He had opened himself and allowed his heart to guide him and he got stabbed for his effort. He wondered now if all those prince-lings hadn't shown up if Amelia had been as receptive to his feelings.

'She isn't someone who can lie very well we can get the truth from her easily enough,' Brau reasoned calmly. Doubt assaulted Zel. So what if that's all there was? What if she had just been caught in the fantasy of the moment? What if at the end of the festivities and her political goals and agendas start taking flight she dismissed him? There _had_ been that long silence after he made his confession…

"_Thanks for the good times! Have a nice life Zel!"_

He dreaded hearing those words but all of a sudden they seemed like a very real possibility. He stepped out of the frigid water at Brau's urging and quickly dressed. If that was how it was going to be then he'd better get it over with quick! He still had two gifts to give and he didn't go through all that hardship making them just to have them sit here in Rezo's vault and collect dust. They were _her_ birthday presents and he just simply wasn't going to be petty and keep them just because he was angry. He made his way back to the study/living quarters deciding he'd rest for a while then teleport back.

"What was I thinking listening to those bears?" Zel cursed wondering why he let True Heart and company talk him into "opening his heart". His instinct had said not to listen but he just let himself get caught in the illusion anyway! Every event since his arrival was now put under the bright lights of suspicion. Why was he being put through all those tests? Why had all those princes been allowed to roam around the palace boasting which one had the better chance to win Amelia's affections not put through what he'd been through in this week from hell?

He arrived to find the prince-lings lounging about the palace taking advantage of all the luxury and hospitality of the royal family and making life a living hell for Kaiba and his people. He came and saved the day and for his trouble he was attacked from every direction! His clothes were chosen for him, his privacy invaded, his character questioned and _tested _repeatedly and as was the case tonight in the most embarrassing and humiliating way! Even attempts on his life he'd tolerated! To top it all off if he wasn't dodging some unwanted presence or conquering some hidden obstacle he was left out and ignored! It was almost not worth the trouble. He wondered if he'd been better off leaving things the way they were…

'I still think it might be a misunderstanding! We should give her at least the chance to explain! She would do the same for us!' Golem insisted. Zel and Brau agreed. The fact of the matter is that despite how angry and embarrassed he felt he loved her! That wasn't going to change even if she gave him the "goodbye…have a nice life…" speech! Besides despite recent events more than five years of friendship shouldn't and couldn't so quickly be dismissed.

'Especially if there is even the slightest possibility that it might be a misunderstanding,' Golem argued but neither Zel nor Brau seemed willing to put them selves in that vulnerable state of hopefulness again. There were other factors to consider Saillune is the white magic capital of the world and he's one third demon. Under the current circumstances he wondered if it were even possible that someone who was in any way related to a demon could have a place in Saillune's royal family in any other capacity other than a friend.

"Let's go!" said Zel to the empty room and cast his spell teleportation spell. The other two gifts were sitting in his quarters in the palace so he decided that's where he would go first…

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Meanwhile Cordell explains it all…

Mortified Amelia paced the room wiping the occasional tear from her face. She still couldn't believe that Zel thought she had set him up for one of daddy's tests! That would be unjust! Certainly he knew she wouldn't do something like that! Certainly he knew she wasn't using or misleading him! Certainly he was aware how important he was to _her_! Certainly he knew it hadn't been her intention to ignore him! Certainly he knew how much she loved him…didn't he?

"Oh what have I done?" she asked herself for the millionth time since Gen. Walker had explained everything. In all honesty she really had set him up in a way. She had dismissed the maid that waited for her. She had given her handmaidens the day off so they wouldn't find him here in the morning. She had taken a recovery potion. She had learned a birth control spell from Lina and she had magically locked the secret door. All was done so she could freely have her way with Zel!

'I didn't even stop to think about his feelings! How unjust of me!' she thought desperately racking her brain for some way to make it up to him. Phil just shook his head a look of awe on his face. Gen. Walker quietly excused himself to check on the progress of the search for the princess' missing beau.

"Amazing!" Phil intoned softly. Now that Phil finally put himself in Zel's shoes he could see what a rough time Zel was having! He shook his head ruefully. Like it was typical of him he got carried away and as a result both Zel and Amelia were now suffering. Still he was so proud of Zel! He had done way better then any other man in his position! Oh how he had enjoyed stuffing it down the throat of even the staunchest naysayer every time Zel performed above and beyond expectation. He got up and rushed back to his room. Amelia hardly took notice of his absence until he burst back into the room.

"Come here Amelia!" he crowed a wild and excited look in his eyes. She gave him a desperate look she was in no mood to hear daddy's ideas but at his insistence she relented and sat next to him at the edge of her bed. He had a small black velvet box in his hand when he opened she saw a simple silver ring with the Seyruun family crest on it. It seemed too big for a woman's finger so it couldn't be her mother's but it was too small for her father's fingers.

"It belonged to my grandfather!" Phil answered her unspoken question. With a wistful smile he took the ring out of the box and studied it for a moment. He recounted that his grandfather had been a man of great self-control and poise. He had been a very wise and influential leader that fostered many reforms that spurred Saillune to the prosperity it still enjoyed today. He was a powerful sorcerer but also a great martial artist. He didn't care much for the pomp and ceremony of his royal upbringing and much preferred quiet contemplation. He had a keen intelligence and a great amount of wisdom but spoke rarely.

"But when he did speak everyone stopped to listen! He had a deep solemn voice that had a soothing effect to it! I always looked up to him even though I was twice as tall as he by the time I was sixteen!" Phil concluded with nostalgic chuckle. He smiled and turned to his daughter who just looked at him bewildered.

"Sound familiar?" he asked in a light teasing tone. She frowned and thought about it for a moment.

"It sounds like Zelgadis!" she exclaimed surprised. Phil chuckled lightly and nodded.

"This was his favorite ring! He didn't like wearing any signs of royalty but he was very fond of this ring!" Phil handed her the ring along with the box.

"I never quite knew why he loved this ring so much but he always told me that to be good ruler you had to first be a good person." Phil explained

"I think Zelgadis is a good person," he intoned seriously. Amelia realized as she studied the ring that while it wouldn't fit her father it _would_ fit Zel. She looked back at her father in surprise.

"Daddy!"

"I think grandfather would approve of who I'm passing his ring to! I hope after all I've put him through he will still want it," Phil concluded apologetically.

"Like you said daddy…Zelgadis is a good person…" Amelia replied with a reassuring smile. He got up then and gave his daughter a kiss on the forehead.

"He may be angry and embarrassed but I have a feeling that he won't be gone long," Phil concluded tiredly. He excused himself admonishing Amelia to get some rest. She nodded and said her good night but as she sat in bed she realized that she wouldn't be able to sleep tonight! She got up every now and then and paced her room clutching the ring to her chest finding different places to sit when she was tired of pacing. She was sitting at her rocking chair nervously rocking herself when she heard familiar voices outside the hall. She bolted up from her chair and waited in front of the door…

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Zel arrived in his room realizing it was just before dawn and was surprised to see Capt. Kaiba there…

"There you are sir! Gen. Walker asked me to find you he seems worried! What's going on?" Kaiba fired at him by way of a greeting. It surprised Zel that Kaiba didn't know what had happened in Amelia's room. Kaiba was a junior officer but usually managed to keep himself very well informed. Zel nodded in solemn greeting and offered a simple "Good morning Captain" in response then moved to his desk and retrieved two silver boxes that contained Amelia's two remaining gifts. It was unlikely too that Kaiba had any part in the "tests" Zel had been subjected to in this week from hell.

'Kaiba had his hands full keeping the "idiot gang" under control…remember?' Brau hissed annoyed. Yes it was all Kaiba could do to keep the rejected princes from getting out of hand when they were leaving! They all threw fits of one sort or another and the young captain spent most of his time running interference to protect the service staff! And the ones that stayed acted like spoiled brats making nearly unreasonable demands of the servants. In fact if he had one trust worthy ally among the staff it was likely Kaiba!

"I'm grateful for the general's discretion," Zel replied calmly but Seto didn't miss the note of bitter sarcasm that crept into Zel's voice. They left the room silent for a moment while Seto studied Zel putting all the pieces together. He sighed…

"They finally went too far didn't they…I won't ask what they did sir," Seto said solemnly he stopped and turned to Zel with a serious look on his face. "For the record sir I refused to take part in any of those _tests_!" he intoned spitting out the last word with a disdain that intrigued Zel.

"So you knew about them?" Zel replied a little more harshly then he intended. Seto almost flinched…

"I would've warned you sir but I have already lost a month's wages for not following orders and there was too much work to be done for me to push my luck! I wouldn't have been of any use to her highness if I had gotten suspended!" he answered guiltily. Zel stared in shock and barely managed an astonished "why?" If there was one thing Kaiba _never_, **_ever_** did was disobey an order. Seto smirked sadly and added that he had thought it the honorable thing to do.

"Those tests were unnecessary! You've already proven yourself!" he added proudly and began walking again. Again Kaiba surprised him.

"Thank you captain! You're support means a lot to me but you didn't have to do it! I would've understood!" Zel countered solemnly already trying to figure out a way to make it up to the captain.

"I know sir but it seemed hypocritical to follow that order. It went against everything that I've been taught and what they're usually preaching!" Seto added proudly then shrugged and began moving again. Zel listened in astonished silence as Seto ranted bitterly how unjustified Zel's treatment was and citing copious examples of Zel's obvious goodwill towards the Seyruun royal family specifically Amelia.

According to Kaiba it was obvious to even the densest townsperson that unlike all those morons that had been parading themselves like peacocks for nearly two weeks Zel actually cared about the princess and that there was simply no one more capable of ruling Saillune at her side! Seto's irritation grew as he ranted on that Zel obviously had more talent and a far more impressive lineage than those so called "nobles" that had been running him and his men ragged! His anger finally started getting the better of him when he pointed out that instead of harassing Zel they should've been busy running all those idiots out of town! Especially the ones trying to kill him!

"I don't see what the problem is! If you really were a dishonest person out to take advantage of our princess you had plenty of opportunities to do so before now!" Kaiba concluded angrily. Zel just stared at him in shock while Kaiba continued to complain how difficult it had been to keep all those princes in check and how nobody took any notice of what the important issues really were because they were too busy gossiping and spying on the wrong people!

"I had no idea…" Zel marveled softly. Slowly his doubts began to lift and Brau and Golem wondered if this was how the rest of the people in Saillune felt about him. They were also very impressed by the young captain's abilities!

"It's not your fault sir! I can handle it! If you don't mind me saying so sir I'd rather be doing _my_ job for free than be in your shoes with all the crap you had to go through this week!" Seto countered with a casual shrug. Zel chuckled slightly.

"Yes you're right! I don't blame you for thinking that way!" Zel laughed briefly then. A different possibility started appearing in his mind. Phil had put him through all that because he believed Zel to be the best choice for his daughter and wanted to prove it beyond a shadow of a doubt. The other losers had been tolerated and pampered simply to keep them out of the way and prevent possible negative repercussions with their countries. In no moment were they taken seriously by anyone who mattered in Saillune's ruling class. He on the other hand was being taken VERY seriously!

It was so obvious to him now that he almost felt ashamed that he had doubted Amelia. He turned serious once more as they approached Amelia's room. Gen. Walker was pacing back and forth in front of Amelia's door. The captain's honesty put into question his previous insecurities and renewed his confidence. He would definitely have to find a way to make it up to the captain! The general looked up and hurried towards them a relieved expression on his face. Zel turned to Seto.

"Thank you captain for _all_ your help!" Zel declared solemnly. Seto smirked and nodded tiredly.

"Of course sir…Any time!" he replied then they both turned to greet the general. The general's return greeting sounded more than a bit relieved.

"Well done Captain! Inform Comm. Trebek that he can stop searching!" he ordered unable to hide the relief in his voice. Kaiba bowed formally since they were out of uniform and technically the captain was off duty protocol did not require him to salute. He walked crisply away from the two men to follow one last command for the evening. Cordell opened his mouth to offer an apology but Zel didn't let him.

"General you said I had it wrong…what did you mean by that?" Zel asked curtly as Kaiba walked away. Cordell flinched slightly and sighed.

"I knew the Prince got wind of the princess' plan through her chaperone and had ordered Anzu to make another device for him. I was there to try and persuade him to stop! It was going too far! The princess is old enough to know what she's doing!" Cordell explained meeting Zel's stern gaze unflinchingly. Zel nodded calmly mulling that new bit over.

"Zel…I suppose saying I was following orders is too weak an excuse but the prince had good reasons!" Cordell began in a somewhat apologetic tone. Zel's calm expression did not change.

"Soldiers often justify atrocities behind that excuse! You know that better than anyone general, you preach it to your officers often enough and Capt. Kaiba seems to have learned that lesson quite well by the way," Zel countered evenly. Cordell smirked not minding that his words were being thrown back at him. He knew without a shadow of doubt now that Amelia had indeed chosen very well.

"However, I would like to know those "good reasons" if you don't mind. I knew Phil would test me but I wasn't expecting an all out assault!" Zel retorted adding a touch of annoyance to his voice. Cordell nodded and continued.

"At first it was merely to prove to the few members of parliament who thought you were an inappropriate choice for the princess that they were wrong but…" Cordell began but Zel cut him off with an exasperated sigh and a roll of his eyes.

"Phil got carried away! Am I right?" his tone clearly indicated he knew the answer to his own question! Cordell smirked and again he nodded. Zel remained stoic he was not amused! Cordell explained that after Zel had done so well at Alex's banquet and the incident in the garden with Charmles he got really excited at the thought of being able to not only prove the naysayers wrong but also to gloat over his daughter's great choice! That took Zel by surprise!

'Phil…is gloating…' Brau began incredulous.

'…because of US!' Golem added equally astonished.

"And you did better and better each day! So Phil just kept going upping the ante every time! But I knew you were starting to reach your limit of tolerance when you wouldn't have lunch with me and Trebek the other day! I wanted to tell you then what was going on, I even went looking for you but the librarian wouldn't let me near you! She threatened me with a Bat Bogey curse if I didn't leave you alone!" he explained ruefully he also explained he'd looked for Zel yesterday but by the time he found out he was in Orange Grove with the Ingalls it was too late to ride out there. He thought he'd wait until this morning but that turned out to also be too late.

"It was not intended to be an assault I assure you!" Cordell concluded seriously. Zel just stared this night was becoming full of interesting revelations!

"Yes well I wish I had known sooner it would've made things easier to deal with…Is Phil inside with Amelia?" he asked finally feeling a bit more at ease. Cordell shrugged and said he'd been there when he left but wasn't sure whether he was still there now. Cordell reached for the door handle and pushed the door open. The two of them walked inside…

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Amelia watched expectantly as Zel and Gen. Walker walked in. She had rehearsed a few words that she would tell him when she saw him but they flew out of her mind as she flew towards him. Zel's arms wrapped around her and tightened as her shoulders shook from her soft sobs.

'Great! Look what you did! You made her cry!' Brau hissed annoyed Golem grumbled guiltily. Zel smiled and resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"I'm sorry Zel! Don't leave! I love you!" she sobbed softly. Zel sighed and his arms tightened a little more as Golem rumbled at Brau that he was right and it _was_ a misunderstanding! Her honest and heartfelt confession finally banished what remained of his insecurities.

"It's ok Amelia…I'm not going anywhere without you," he reassured gently. She looked up at him hopeful.

"Carealot?" she suggested. He smiled back and nodded. He turned to Gen. Walker who was about to leave.

"General…would you please tell Phil that we'll be gone for a while?" Zel's serious request was answered by a solemn affirmative nod.

"We'll be back before dinner!" Amelia piped up and turned to answer Zel's surprised look "we have a lot to catch up on!" She replied in a tone more serious than he was used to hearing from her.

"Ok…" he replied and unable to resist he bent down to kiss her. She eagerly responded. Walker smiled as he watched them disappear in a swirl of silver light. He headed out the door to let Phil know that everything would be ok…

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"Amelia! Zelgadis! Welcome to Carealot!" Tender Heart greeted cheerfully.

"Hi there! We've been expecting you!" Brave Heart added cheerfully. Amelia smiled and returned the care family's cheerful greetings without letting go of Zel's hand. Zel waited patiently for the greetings to be done grateful that he was part Golem and the vice grip Amelia had on his hand couldn't cut off his circulation! Brave Heart explained that the caring meter went down a point during the night. When they couldn't figure out what it was they thought it might have something to do with Amelia or Zelgadis! Zel smiled…

"Brave Heart if you don't mind we need a quiet and private place where we can talk and share our feelings," Zel replied looking at Amelia. She smiled back at him and nodded eagerly.

"Then you've come to the right place!" Brave Heart cheered "come this way!" he growled cheerfully. He skipped ahead of them and they followed quietly. He lead them to one of those frosted apple trees by the river and told them they could help themselves to the fruit and they knew where to find them if they needed anything. Zel nodded and thanked him as he reached up for a couple of the energy filled fruits. He sat down next to Amelia and handed her one taking a couple of bites of his fruit. He was stalling trying to figure out where he was going to start but Amelia beat him to it!

"I'm sorry Zel! I didn't even stop to consider your feelings! I was only thinking about what I wanted! I was being selfish!" she began desperately and again Zel tried to get a word in edgewise but Amelia once more didn't let him.

"I'm really am ready for a fully committed relationship. I definitely feel it's the right time for me! I also want to be Queen and I want to do something that will have a long term impact on the prosperity of my people. I want to settle down and start my own family! But I didn't stop to tell you any of this! I didn't stop to ask if you were ready for those things too! Or even if you wanted them at all!" her explanation came out all in one breath! She took a deep breath a tear slid down her face as she watched him expectantly.

He smiled cupped her face in his hand and reached with his thumb to wipe the tear away. She reached up to grab hold of his hand and again Zel was glad her tight grip couldn't cut off his circulation! He reached with his other hand for one of the boxes tucked away in the hidden pockets of his cape. It was a very small silver box and the item inside didn't contain much magical power. It was mostly for show…

"I have a dream that I gave up on when Rezo made me a chimera: I used to dream that I could have a home, a place to belong to and protect… a place where I could love and be loved!" he began wistfully and opened the little box. A slight gasp was all that he heard from Amelia but he could feel her strain to resist the urge to interrupt him. Inside the box was a dainty little silver ring a small diamond with the Seyruun family crest glowing from within it.

"I convinced myself I didn't need one and I lived my life concentrating on the next destination to avoid thinking of the fact that there was no home for me to return to and no one waiting for me at the end of my journey…" he released her hand with some effort and took the ring out of the box putting the box aside. She looked about ready to burst but she knew he wasn't done yet. It seemed to be quite the effort for her to keep from spilling out everything she was holding in!

"But from the instant that we first kissed I knew I couldn't go back to that way of thinking! I may not have realized it at the time that I made this but I knew for certain in that kiss! You are my future and the only place I want to be is at your side," Zel concluded taking a deep breath bracing him self for one more question but Amelia never gave him the chance! She pounced on him with a slight squeal of delight. He was able to catch himself before slamming back against the roots of the tree all the while relishing Amelia's enthusiastic response.

"Would you marry me?" she cheerfully exclaimed. He chuckled slightly…

"That was supposed to be my line!" he chuckled again. She giggled and kissed him again.

"Can I take that as a yes?" she smiled gleefully. He laughed again.

"Yes absolutely yes!" he replied kissing her once more and slipping the little ring onto her finger on her left hand.

"But Amelia are you sure you're people will be ok with you having a part demon husband? Your kingdom is the white magic capital of the world after all," he added a little more seriously.

"What are you talking about? My people love you! You're kind and treat everyone regardless of their status with respect! You help people out and never ask for anything in return!" she replied proudly. Zel opened his mouth to protest but again Amelia beat him to it.

"Take little Laura for example! All the Ingalls did was to give you a dry place to sleep for the night and in return you scoured the world searching for a cure for their daughter! Everyone knows that!" the admiration and sincerity in her voice sent his confidence soaring sky high! He pulled her to him and kissed her deeply.

"When you're gone I walk the streets of the city and do you know what people ask me the most?" she began her tone clearly indicating she knew the answer!

"They ask me when you're coming back…" she finished wistfully her eyes clouded and for a second Zel could see the toll on her good cheer his absence had taken. He held her tight and kissed her once more. He would never have enough of her and he knew he would never leave her again!

"Oh by the way…" she began when they came up for air and opened the hand she'd been keeping clenched tight this whole time. In it was a simple silver men's ring with the Seyruun family crest emblazoned on it.

"So that's what you were holding…" he said curious. She smiled blushing slightly.

"It belonged to my great-grandfather! Daddy and I want you to have it!" she explained seriously. Zel smiled at her and took the ring slipping it into his left ring finger.

"I like it! Thank you," he kissed her once more and then she told him what she'd learned about her grandfather and how her father had compared Zel to him.

"Daddy is really proud of you! Just so you know!" she was adding when they heard cheering coming from the direction of the castle and they looked in that direction. Amelia laughed as she saw the care family jumping and waving happily at them. The caring meter had returned to its highest position and it was cause for celebration among the happy little family.

"We should head back soon…" Zel began reluctantly. Brau had sternly reminded him Amelia had likely not eaten anything and while they could go days and sometimes weeks without eating she certainly should not! He said as much to Amelia…

"I wish we could stay here a little longer…" she replied equally reluctant to relinquish her spot curled up on Zel's chest.

"Hey Zel…You never told me what you and Mr. Aoshi talked about. Every time we come here I think to ask but you always sit by the rainbow and look so sad…" she began blushing slightly. She didn't want to pry into a painful memory but she wanted him to share his pain with her! She wanted him to share the good as well as the bad.

"Aoshi was a mirror…he taught me a lot about myself…" he began and recounted Aoshi's painful tale of loss and revenge and how the selfless love of his Misao redeemed him. Amelia smiled and sighed wiping a little tear away from her eye.

"She loved him so much! She said he was her happiness…" she added curling up against Zel a little more much to Brau and Golem's content! Playful Heart Monkey suddenly popped down from a nearby tree and cheerfully invited them to come to the castle and have some cake Birthday Bear baked and some pie Grams bear made. They agreed so they could stay a little longer.

"I would show you the letter he wrote me but I left it at the vault…" he added as they walked back and she suggested they should go get it after they ate!

"And that way you can give me that tour you promised!" she added cheerfully. It didn't seem like a bad idea to Zel…

Well Grams Bear and Birthday Bear had really outdone themselves! Birthday Bear made a gigantic three layer marble cake with whipped cream frosting topped with candy hearts. Amelia had a rather large piece! Grams Bear made at least thirty different kinds of pie and Amelia tried a large piece of every single one! Zel took a small piece of lemon pie and waited for Amelia to finish sampling every pie. Finally with some reluctance they left promising Zel would be back soon to take them to the opening of the street festival tonight!

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It was dark for a moment as the magic of the teleport dissipated. At Zel's command runes on the wall began to glow providing the place with a soft white light. Amelia took a moment to look around. The main hall was a huge place with a very high vaulted ceiling. She could hear water running from somewhere deep inside.

"Come…I'll give you a little tour," he said taking her hand leading her down a hall where the spring was. He began by explaining that the vault was located high up inside a mountain near the village Rezo was born. He showed her a small vault that had a huge pile of gold in it and a few other more valuable metals.

"This is going to be Lina's! It's approximately 30 million! The price she requested for the orichalcum statue that contained the philosopher's stone when we first met" he explained "I added about 5 percent interest for the late fee," he added with a chuckle.

"Ms. Lina is going to be soo happy!" Amelia chuckled. She followed him to a library full of dusty volumes and journals similar to the lab in old Sairaag but they didn't spend too much time there. She was taken after to a larger vault. Amelia's jaw dropped! Large chests overflowed with mythril, adamantine, star fragments, etherium crystals and every manner of rare ores and crystals in enough quantities to buy Saillune's royal palace three times over! Zel didn't seem impressed…

"I think Rezo collected _this_ stuff in the hopes he could make weapons with it…I think it was part of his research to destroy Shabranigdo. I found a journal where he'd researched the temple of Galbadia but he never was able to override its restrictions. He gave up on it early on…" he explained moving into the room a little further. He studied the treasure in the room with what looked to Amelia like resentment.

"I wonder if that's one of the reasons why he turned me into a chimera sometimes…I was able to bypass the restrictions of the temple!" he said softly glaring at a box full of mythril bars. Amelia sighed riches never did impress Zelgadis! She moved towards him and wrapped her arms around his chest.

"It doesn't matter anymore…I love you no matter what you are…" she reassured him. He smiled once more and kissed her then the two left the room. He finally showed her the office. It was a sparsely furnished room. One corner had a small bed neatly made up and the other corner had a neat desk with several books and papers stacked neatly in a corner with an ink pot and several quills arranged neatly in the other. He went straight for the desk remembering his original purpose for being there he searched through the papers as he spoke.

"And this I guess is home…or at least it has been since I found this place! Ah, here it is!" he smiled as he opened a folded piece of yellow parchment. He handed it to her and she smiled as she read it.

"He's absolutely right! I love you and it doesn't matter whether you're a demon or human hybrid!" she replied smiling up at him. She kissed him then in that needy unreserved way that made Zelgadis weaken. She did not stop this time recharged from the sugar rush of all those care bear pies Zel was no match for her! This time as she pushed him down onto the small bed however Brau shielded Golem from the onslaught of human emotion and they retreated to Zel's subconscious. _This time_ Zel had no excuse and simply no intention to stop her. He happily submitted to the princess of Saillune's desires…

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On the few lemons I have encountered involving Amelia and Zelgadis it is usually Amelia who is the aggressor. You know I think it makes sense given her overeager nature that she would be the one jumping Zel's gun! (Pun very much intended!) And Zel would be the poor hapless one who can do nothing but let her have her way! I read one a long time ago where she had actually tied him up with magical rope and blindfolded him while he was asleep by means of a sleep spell she used on him! By the time Zel awoke and realized what was going on it was too late! Hahahahahahahahahaha!

Anyway I have to thank Linkin Park (and my little son for suggesting it!) I played "Somewhere I belong" over and over while I wrote this! I was driving my husband nuts! Hahahahaha! It's become Zel's theme song!

Thanks for reading and reviewing!


	14. Taste of things to come

**Carealot Strikes Back!**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own: Slayers or anything else that ends up on this story! There are way too many crossovers for me to list them all so I'm not gonna!

Ok I've been working on this simultaneously with the last chapter and the next one. I am a practicioner of what I call the Star Wars effect: everything happening everywhere at once! So it's been rather challenging to switch modes!

At any rate...on with the show

I dedicate this one to Phabrizoe! Hope you like it!

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**Episode 9: "And now for a taste of things to come…" **– Shang Sung Mortal Kombat

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Gaston was seething! Every single one of his attempts to kill that freak had failed! His very last idea - to put a curse in his coffee - was dismissed before putting it into play because if the Nougatch-Hemlock in the soup hadn't worked it was unlikely that cursed coffee that turns you into a llama would work either! It was a good thing these Saillune goody goodies were such sticklers to the letter of the law or he'd be dead for sure!

'That Capt Kaiba though looks like he might be willing to bend a few rules! Better back off for a bit…' he contemplated as he headed for Akmed's rooms. Thinking it was time for Akmed to take off some of the heat from him! A servant ushered him into Akmed's room and the man was smirking triumphantly. Gaston resisted the urge to punch him.

"I haven't lost yet!" Gaston growled angrily.

"You have been trying for a week!" he began in an obnoxious imperious tone "He obviously can't be smashed, stabbed, blown up or poisoned! Frankly it's amazing that such crude methods haven't worked with that monstrosity!"

"So I suppose _you_ have a better plan! Even my sword can't hurt him!" Gaston retorted already well on his way to being fully enraged. Akmed rolled his eyes.

"Please don't remind me! That was so embarrassing!" Akmed whined. Gaston flinched indeed it had been. One morning while all the off duty guards were in the training courtyard along with several of the visiting princes doing their morning workout Gaston had challenged Zelgadis to a sparring match. Zelgadis had not accepted at first saying he was not interested and dismissed him with a shrug. A younger guard accepted his challenge…

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"_I'll spar with ya!" Jonouchi Katsuya piped up cheerfully. Gaston composed himself somewhat and beat the snot out of the poor kid. Jou was hauled away by his comrades to the infirmary. Several of his fellow guards immediately challenged Gaston in defense of Jou's and the Guard's honor but one by one they fell. By the time he'd worked his way through a third guard Gourry and Zangalus were riled enough to want to take him on! Capt. Kaiba had stepped forward then before Gourry or Zangalus could do anything and was about to challenge him when Zelgadis stepped in. _

"_If you would permit me captain I believe Gaston just wants to fight **me**!" Zelgadis said softly and politely. He put a reassuring hand on the young captain's shoulder and after a moment's hesitation Kaiba stepped back._

"_Very well Gaston you have my attention!" Zel threw at him in challenge. Yugi ran up to him and handed Zel a wooden practice sword._

"_Yugi…get Gaston a real sword. The wooden one won't be of any use to him against me," Zel added allowing a touch of arrogance into his voice. Yugi smirked mischievously and with a sharp salute hurried to comply. _

"_Alright Zel! Teach that guy a lesson!" Gourry cheered. Oh and what a lesson it was! Gaston had not been able to land a single hit! Zelgadis danced around him scoring hit after hit until every part of Gaston's body ached but not enough to incapacitate him. It further enraged Gaston to realize Zelgadis was holding back!_

"_Had enough Gaston?" Zel asked with more than a touch of condescension in his voice. Seeing red by now Gaston charged at him at full speed sword held high. Zel calmly stood his ground then spun out of his way at the very last minute and slammed his wooden sword in the back of Gaston's neck with enough force to send him flying forward and crashing into a large water barrel. Gaston was unconscious for several hours but the last thing he heard was Capt. Kaiba's laughter and it had haunted him ever since…_

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"At least we learned something of value…" Akmed began.

"Excuse me?" Gaston countered ready to pound Akmed if his remark was a slur.

"Zelgadis Greywords' weakness: Saillune! Not just the princess but everything in Saillune!" Akmed enthused. Gaston being the slower of the two had to work that out for a bit.

"So how does that help us?" Gaston asked unable to figure out how his humiliation was an advantage. Akmed sighed in exasperation.

"If we hurt Saillune in just the right way we can force him to give up his claim on her!" Akmed announced in a nasally obnoxious tone. Gaston's eyes went wide with renewed excitement.

'And my dreams of conquering the world will be one step closer!' Akmed crowed to himself.

'And my dream of possessing the most beautiful princess in the world will be one step closer!' Gaston crowed to himself.

Though their goals were slightly different they both involved Amelia's relinquishing her love for Zelgadis in favor of one of them. Akmed wanted to rule the world but to do so he needed the vast resources of Saillune. Gaston on the other hand had a more mundane and vulgar goal. He wanted Amelia to be one more of the trophies on display in his palace! Just one more trinket to assert his manliness to the world…

_Disgusting…_

"But first we need to distract Lina Inverse! Things could get deadly if she starts blasting away!" Akmed pointed out smartly. Gaston nodded his agreement seriously. He had noticed that she had barely been restrained the first few days and even though she seemed calmer now she was famous for her hair-trigger temper. He had seen what her fireballs could do when she was just playing around so he'd hate to see what her infamous Dragon Slave could do! Especially if she's angry!

"So we'll create a diversion…" Gaston said already planning on how he could accomplish getting Lina out of the way and possibly getting rid of the much hated Capt. Kaiba! He and Akmed bent over a table to make their nefarious plans at the same time realizing that they could both get what they want if they pool their resources.

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Phil whistled happily to himself as he went on his way to his next duty. Amelia and Zelgadis hadn't returned from Carealot yet which he could only conclude was a good thing! According to Walker they were already kissing when they disappeared on their way to Carealot. He sighed fully content dreaming of the grandbabies that would surely start coming soon!

'Hmmm…I wonder if they'll be chimeras like that little girl from Orange Grove?' he wondered absently not really caring if they were or not. At the very real prospect of his baby girl getting married he suddenly couldn't wait to be a grandpa! Phil was in heaven! He couldn't wait to end these celebrations with a wedding announcement! Or perhaps even a wedding!

'And maybe by this time next year I'll be Grandpa Phil!' he hoped cheerfully and laughed loud and boisterously much to the passersby's bewilderment unwittingly providing fuel once more for the gossip mill as he headed back up to his room…

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The maids and the townspeople were all a-buzz with speculation! Phil was overflowing with good cheer, the princess and her beau were no where to be found and what's more is that not even their closest friends had heard from them since last night after the Guard's Party.

"Do you think they eloped?" Yuffie asked the rest of Amelia's half awake handmaiden's assembled in the princess's room. Anzu startled awake from her spot on the couch. She'd had a really late night with Yugi and had barely dragged herself out of bed and got into uniform to get to the princess' room only to find she'd been gone since last night and Phil wasn't saying where.

"She better not!" Anzu grumbled grumpily. On top of that she'd forgotten Amelia gave them all the day off so she'd gotten up and into uniform for nothing! She could've very well have stayed curled up in her bed with Yugi instead and slept off the hangover. By the time she returned to her apartment he'd already dressed and gone to his post. With nothing better to do she went to back to Amelia's room and found her co-workers there nursing various degrees of a hangover. Her hangover was the worst!

"But I'll bet she got as lucky as you did Anzu!" Raven teased. Anzu blushed and went back to dozing on the couch. Everyone had seen Anzu leave with little shy Yugi last night. It was no secret what they were up to!

"You and Yugi have been seeing a lot of each other lately haven't you?" Chelsea interjected. Anzu smiled but didn't answer as the other girls giggled mischievously.

"Hey did anyone see where Captain Kaiba went last night?" Yuffie asked changing the subject again. All the girls looked up and exchanged glances wondering which one of them had taken Capt Kaiba home with them last night. Eyes settled back on Yuffie…

"Don't look at me! He was dancing with me and it looked kind of promising but then I spotted Honda and I went to play with him instead!" Yuffie explained blushing intensely. They turned to Mai then. At the New Year's Eve guard party Mai had been the one hooked up with him afterwards…

"I didn't take him home! I took Jou! Who was he dancing with last?" Mai replied unabashedly to their unspoken question.

"Paine!" piped up Lisa sleepily from one of the comfy chairs in the sitting area of Amelia's room.

"Yea but Paine left with someone else," Jessie added pensively trying to recall the night before. She too had taken a turn feeling up Kaiba early in the evening but left the party with Slater. The girls were awake now trying to work out the mystery of why none of them had a new Kaiba hook up story. Almost every one of them did except for Anzu. She was the only one who avoided him like the plague!

As cold and emotionless as Kaiba seemed to be on duty… he was pure fire when placed in an intimate setting. He wasn't the type that made empty promises to get to you and he wasn't the type to make commitments to anyone other than his brother and his job. As long as you understood that breakfast the next morning was as far as he went you were in for a special treat!

Tifa arrived then with an armful full of goodies to eat and treat the hangovers from her father's tavern. The girls gleefully dug in!

"Hey Tifa! Did you see who left with Kaiba last night?" Yuffie asked. Tifa laughed.

"I almost did! But after he talked to the priestess from the outer world he seemed kind of out of it. I walked home with someone else!" Tifa replied cheerfully.

"You mean Ms. Filia? But she's…I don't mean to be rude but she's such a prude!" Yuffie replied astonished.

"He didn't leave with her. She left alone and Kaiba got summoned away later by Comm. Trebek under orders from Gen. Walker. He didn't come back after that…" Tifa added pensively her clever mind putting all the pieces together.

"You know I think Kaiba's got a _serious _thing for Ms. Filia…" she voiced softly. The girls grumbled protests and assertions that Kaiba was married to his job. All of them except for Anzu…

"You know I think you're right Tifa!" Anzu exclaimed suddenly at the sustained disbelief of her co-workers she continued "think about it you guys! He's way more polite - to the point of downright sweet - with _HER_! He's never that way with any of the princess' other friends! Not even the ones who ARE princesses! He's always looking out for her little kid and acting all daddy-like around him! And no little kid in this country save for Mokuba gets that kind of treatment from him!" and on she went ignoring her pounding post-hangover headache she jumped up from the couch and paced excitedly as she spoke.

"OH sweet Cepheid Kaiba's in love! When did _that_ happen?" Yuffie shrieked excitedly. And so a new subject was born as Tifa and Anzu finally put the pieces together. Excitedly they put their heads together to pinpoint the exact time in which this had happened and whether Filia or anyone else was aware. They decided right away however they would keep it to themselves and perhaps ask Lord Greywords when he returned if he'd noticed.

"I think that if anyone else has noticed it's definitely him! They do spend a lot of time together!" Lisa pointed out smartly.

"I agree! Kaiba listens to everything Lord Greywords says!" Jessie added seriously her statement echoed in various ways by her coworkers. Jessie paused as she heard some unusual noise coming from Prince Phil's room.

"Do you guys hear that?" she asked and they too paused to listen.

"Let's go check it out!" Raven suggested and reluctant to leave their comfortable seats the others followed…

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Intent as the girls were in their new subject they were unaware that a large group of intruders were lurking quietly outside. Intruders with no intention of listening to girls gossiping! The head of the intruders sneaking into the palace stopped to listen at Amelia's door. Determining that there was no threat in the room they began putting into effect their plan. Quietly they snuck towards the end of the hall where Phil's room was.

He signaled the men to stop and he listened once more. Phil was definitely inside. He was laughing and talking to Gen. Walker it sounded like. Thanks to the rampaging gossip mill getting information about where everyone was; what everyone was doing and when the best time to attack would be was easy. Lina Inverse – the greatest threat to his group – was no where near his position and by the time she responded they would be long gone. He picked the lock quietly and as one the commando team burst into the room launching their all out attack.

Walker burst from his seat! Battle honed reflexes saved his life by less than an inch as he leaped away from an arrow and soon he was engaged in hand to hand combat with several men as they surrounded him swords in hand. His fists and feet whirled around him taking down one after the other. Phil also fought as well as he could. Walker couldn't help the smirk as Phil lectured the intruders of the unlawfulness of their actions as he went. One of the intruders finally snuck past Walker and reached Phil.

"SLEEP!" the man called out and Phil plummeted to the ground like a rock as the spell caught him unawares. Walker called out to him desperately wading through the attackers. He found himself suddenly with unexpected re-enforcements as Amelia's handmaidens burst into the room.

"Cavalry's here General!" Yuffie called out cheerfully as her giant Shuriken took out a big guy about to smash the general from behind.

"FIREBALL!" Anzu shouted as two more were toasted. Walker directed her attention to the sorcerer that was heading towards the balcony dragging Phil's unconscious body. Mai and Jessie struck down two more with their swords clearing a path for Anzu. The floor shook for a second as Tifa signaled with her powerful fist for the guards to come up and knocking a couple of baddies off their feet in the process.

"Called shot: HEAD!" From just outside the door Raven's un-erring aim struck a fatal blow on an attacker sneaking up behind Lisa whose deadly staff had taken out one but was whirling too late to meet her next attacker.

"FIRE IN THE HOLE!" Chelsea's portable canon blasted the next three guys that were keeping Anzu from reaching the Prince. Anzu hurried towards the balcony only to find there were two more sorcerers lying in wait there. She had just enough time to put up a shield before simultaneous fireballs blasted her back into the room. Guards started pouring into the room then. Kaiba sword in hand quickly made his way to the balcony where Anzu was pointing him towards. The sounds of loud bangs signaled the arrival of Lina Inverse and what remained of the attackers began their desperate retreat.

Capt Kaiba burst into the balcony only to find the sorcerers had used levitation spells and were flying away towards the forest with their prize. Kaiba cursed as he watched them fly! He couldn't let them get away and hesitated only a second. Lina came up behind him and watched in absolute shock as Kaiba gave away his greatest secret to get the Prince back.

"Wild shape: FALCON!" he called out and his body glowed for a second then transformed into a beautiful brown and golden falcon. He turned only a second to signal Lina to follow him. Recovering quickly from her shock she nodded and grabbing Gourry's hand she called up her levitation spell and they followed…

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The few intruders that remained had been apprehended quickly after that. Once they realized their escape would be impossible they surrendered. They didn't count on Amelia's handmaidens to be so tough! Soldiers poured out into the city searching desperately for their missing Prince. Trebek and his men interrogated the prisoners and it was to the staff's utter dismay that their happy spying and gossiping had led to their Prince's kidnapping!

"How do we get in contact with the Princess?" Trebek asked Walker softly. The girls despite their heroic efforts were utterly devastated as they tried to pick through the rubble in the prince's room looking for some clue to his whereabouts. Walker shook his head as he watched Anzu get carried away by the medics to treat the burns from the fire spells and broken ribs from the fall.

"I don't know…We'll have to wait until they return…" Walker replied softly hoping Lina, Gourry and Seto would find Prince Phil and bring him back soon before Zel and Amelia returned…

Lina followed Falcon-Seto as fast as she could while carrying the weight of her husband. The exertion was starting to make her testy.

"Those bandits are gonna taste my Dragon Slave I swear it!" she growled angrily. Gourry knew better than to say anything when she was in that mood! Seto circled once far ahead of them then headed back towards them and dove for the trees. Lina followed him and they landed in a small clearing. Seto transformed back into his human self.

"How the hell did you do that?" Lina snapped as she released Gourry who after years of practice managed to land on his feet with ease. Lina landed next to him and stomped over to Kaiba.

"I'm a druid. My people can transform into any kind of creature certain times a day depending on our strength," he replied simply. Lina's eyes went wide.

"But I thought the druids were extinct!" she nearly shrieked eyes alight with excitement.

"What's a druid?" Gourry asked scratching his head. Lina sighed heavily and Seto rolled his eyes barely able to contain his anxiety in the face of Lina and Gourry's inopportune curiosity.

"I'm the last one! I promise I will explain but please let us focus right now!" Seto hissed barely able restrain an angry growl. Lina looked miffed but decided it was best to get Phil first. She'd have plenty of time to squeeze information out of Kaiba later. Druids were rumored to have some very nifty spells that controlled time and weather as well as some very interesting nature related abilities. It would be great to find out how many of those spells Kaiba knew and how many of them she could acquire!

"Fine! Fine! What next?" she replied. He explained that he had spotted a camp nearby and that he could sneak in and get the Prince out while they took out the bandits. They would have to hurry since it seemed the bandits had begun breaking camp.

"I would normally wait for re-enforcements but that seems overkill with the two of you here and there's no time for it anyway," he added distractedly as they hurried through the forest towards the camp Kaiba had seen. Just as Lina was about to make comment on how smart Kaiba was for realizing her supreme talents Kaiba transformed into a small blue jay a common enough bird in this area of the forest and flew away. Again Lina blinked in surprise once more.

"You know I bet that really comes in handy," Gourry pointed out and Lina nodded in vigorous agreement as Seto fluttered casually toward the camp. They followed as far as the cover of the forest would allow and stopped watching as Seto easily sneaked past the camps guard posts and towards a small tent that seemed to be his goal.

"Once Kaiba gets to the tent we move in!" Lina whispered in anticipation. Gourry grinned.

"Right!" and he unsheathed his sword: the Dragon Heart. A sword Lina made for him in Galbadia's temple as an engagement present two years ago. A powerful sword to be sure considering who the maker was but nowhere near the power of the sword of light. To Gourry however it was as precious as his sword of light had been because Lina used her own life to create it! People accused him of being dense but he was savvy in the things that really mattered…

"Here we go!" Lina burst forward with Gourry half a step behind her as Kaiba fluttered into the tent. With her hands in front of her she passed out her calling card:

_**FIREBALL!**_

Phil started a little as he heard the first explosion then smiled as the sounds of chaos erupted all around the tent…

"Ah Miss Lina has arrived!" he told himself with a smirk and watched with amusement as a little blue bird fluttered about the tent then landed next to him.

"Yes it's probably safer in here right now little feathered friend!" he laughed but swallowed the rest of his amusement as the little bird transformed into Amelia's captain of the guard. He opened his mouth to say something but Seto quickly cut him off as he undid the ties holding the prince to the post in the center of the tent.

"No time to explain! We must hurry!" he whispered quickly. Phil nodded massaging his aching wrists after he was freed.

"When I transform again just climb up and hold on tight!" he instructed quietly and snuck towards the entrance of the tent pulling his sword out of its scabbard as he went. There were two guards a couple of steps away from the tent. They looked like they were trying to decide whether to run away or stand and fight. Their duty was clearly forgotten. Seto surged forward and struck down both guards quickly. Phil followed closely as Seto re-sheathed his sword and with his hands joined at his chest he prepared one more transformation…

"Wild Shape: HIPPOGRIFF!" he called out and once more his body glowed and transformed into the mythical part horse part eagle creature. Phil ogled for a moment but the chaos that surrounded him didn't let him get too distracted. He jumped on to the Kaiba-griff and held on as the beast reared up and struck down attackers with its powerful hoof-claws.

"Gourry Go!" Lina yelled running towards the hippogriff that she knew was Kaiba! Gourry caught sight of what she was running towards and struck two more down before following her. Kaiba galloped towards them striking down panicked bandits that got in his way. He stopped only an instant to let Gourry climb on. Then with a full speed running start he extended the massive wings and took to the air in a giant leap. Lina followed with her levitation spell but as soon as she was out of arrow range she turned to face the camp.

"Wait! I'm not done yet! I made these bandits a promise!" Lina growled bitterly "I'll teach them to mess with my friends!"

**_Darkness beyond twilight crimson beyond blood that flows…_**

"Kaiba let's go get the hell out of here!" Gourry screamed urgently.

_**Buried in the stream of time is where your power grows…**_

"Yes! Go Captain Go!" Phil agreed urgently but Kaiba was already heading away from Lina at full speed.

**_I pledge myself to conquer all the foes who stand before the might gift bestowed in my unworthy hands…_**

He didn't need their advice he recognized those words alright and he knew quite well what would happen when those words came out of Lina Inverse-Gabriev's mouth! Quiet reigned in the forest for an instant as they felt the force of the spell gathering around Lina….

_**DRAGON SLAVE!**_

Kaiba pushed harder as he felt the heat from Lina's spell as they retreated. Gourry turned his head to see Lina hurrying towards them as a mushroom of flames engulfed the camp and anyone and everything within a few miles from it. The mushroom began to dim and Gourry asked Kaiba to slow down so Lina could catch up. Kaiba stopped and hovered watching as Lina approached with a grin from ear to ear!

"Hey Phil! You alright?" she called out cheerfully as soon as she was in hearing range.

"Never better Ms. Lina!" Phil called back as she finally reached them.

"I think Zel's gonna be mad that he missed all the excitement though!" Gourry added. Phil laughed and nodded in agreement.

"Yea he'll probably brood for a while! I'm sure Amelia can help him get over it!" she commented and laughed happily. Seto made a happy sounding noise then gestured with his head back to the palace.

And so feeling pretty good about themselves for their absolute victory they flew back to the Saillune Royal Palace looking forward to the triumphant hero's welcome they were sure to receive…

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Gaston's sniveling little man-servant Lefou rushed towards Akmed's room where Akmed and Gaston waited for the report. Panting for breath he knocked on the door before hurrying inside.

"Well?" Akmed asked annoyed as Lefou caught his breath.

"Lina Inverse is away and the princess just returned! The sorceress among the handmaidens is injured and the soldiers are distracted trying to find the prince," he panted excitedly.

"Good! It's time then!" Gaston announced importantly. Akmed nodded and from a secret compartment in one of his trunks he pulled out his trump card. A black long necked fat bottom bottle with a black glass stopper he pulled the stopper off and black smoke drifted out of it. The smoke quickly formed itself into the shape of tall sorcerer dressed in long black flowing robes. His strange oval shaped hat made him look like a snake a perfect match for the snake head staff.

"Gaston! Meet Jafar! My genie and the means by which we will finally rid ourselves of that pesky chimera!" Akmed announced proudly. Jafar merely rolled his eyes. Though Akmed had been lucky to find the talisman that changed his lamp into a bottle which granted him unlimited wishes it cut Jafar's genie powers in less than half. It annoyed him to no end to have to serve a half-wit like Akmed and cursed Aladdin once more for tricking him into this form. However because he was in a bottle form he was one step closer to his goal of liberating himself from the genie curse.

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Ok player stats:

Now I had a bit of a challenge coming up with the girls' fighting skills. Tifa and Yuffie were easy (though I used the Kingdom Hearts stats for them rather than the FF7) the rest not so much. So I tapped my husband's brain for some D&D gaming knowledge and bestowed them with D&D classes:

Raven: 15th level arcane archer. Arcane archers totally rock! My friend Wiley Elf (not her real name) plays an elf whose 15th level arcane archer/15th level ranger. I swear the only way she can miss is for her to roll a one! Even then it depends on whether she was using a special ability or not. Her shot might miss a little but hit something else.

Mai and Jessie: 15th and 13th level paladins. The knight class suits those two girl's character better in this story's context. Especially Jessie but I made her a lower level because she doesn't spend as much time working on it as Mai.

Chelsea: She was tough! I wanted one of the girls to be able to carry large futuristic type weapons. Since she's tall and has a lot of body unlike the skinny typical anime girl (she's like Millie from Trigun!) a huge portable canon works good.

Lisa: 10th level cleric. Lisa is a prissy flighty creature so I didn't level her too much. I needed someone other than Amelia who could do white magic if required. As I understand it clerics fight mostly unarmed. I've been told however when they do pick a melee weapon they tend to be in the form of a staff. I gave her the staff because there's less chance of her breaking her nails on someone's armor! Ha-ha…

Anzu: 15th level Sorcerer. Ok I had to have a magic user among them that could cast the black magic spells and considering from where I took her I thought she would fit best as the magic user of the group.

Now for Kaiba:

He is a 15th level druid. As I understand it a druid at that level can walk or run through the forest and not leave a trace. Their bodies become immune to poisons and disease. He can pass over natural traps in the forest and not activate them and what's more they can cast spells that can alter weather or the natural shape of things. Kaiba can transform 5 times per day as long as he doesn't do anything bigger than a horse or in this case a Hippogriff! I gave him the most thought and made my husband help me roll a character sheet for him! I don't play D&D much and I do have a level 12 elf Druid but the really cool stuff happens at level 15 and higher!

Ok well that's it for now on those guys!

Thanks for reading and reviewing!


	15. Of Love and other Demons PartI

**Return of the Magic of Carealot**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own: Slayers or anything else that ends up on this story! There are way too many crossovers for me to list them all so I'm not gonna!

**Warning:** this chapter is somewhat limey so if you're like Dr. Mackay and are deathly allergic to citrus please stop reading now! But you got past the last limey chapter so I guess you're ok with it! Thank you for reading!

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**Episode 10: Of Love and Other Demons…**

**Part I**

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"Whoa! Is she supposed to do that?" Golem asked innocently. Brau sighed annoyed.

"Yes Golem she's supposed to do that!" Brau replied annoyed. If he'd had his own eyes he would've rolled them! Golem had been an absolute worrywart since Zel and Amelia began their union. They listened quietly for a while until once more Golem's worrying got the better of him.

"Are you sure Zel's supposed to be growling like that? He sounds like he's in pain!" Golem asked worriedly. Brau let out an exasperated sigh.

"Golem for the last time! He is _not_ in pain everything is fine!" he hissed annoyed.

"Her nails feel sharper than they look and that last moan sounded kind of pained! Are you sure he's not hurting her? Shouldn't we stop him?" Golem continued his worrying undaunted by Brau's irritation.

"NO and NO! For the love of Shabranigdo will you stop worrying Golem! Everything is fine!" he hissed furiously.

"Sorry…I'm just afraid she might get hurt!" Golem just rumbled sadly.

"Golem nothing bad is going to happen to her! Amelia is the happiest woman in the world right now! _Trust me!_" Brau sighed in annoyance. As if to prove his point a powerful surge of emotion enveloped Zel completely causing their conversation to stop and Golem's fears to wash away with the tide…

_Amelia…_

For a brief instant Brau and Golem found themselves within her mind as well. Her mind was filled with love and happiness and visions of the future she could now feel was at the tips of her fingers. It overwhelmed them for a moment as they realized that her desire for them to share in her feelings was what pulled them briefly out of Zel's mind to touch hers.

_I love you…_

The words that softly flowed from her mind completely shut out all other thoughts and much too soon for their liking the connection was broken. The feelings they'd shared however held on to his heart filling them with a more powerful sense of protectiveness enhanced by the love he felt for her. In her arms peacefully they slept…

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"_In dreams things you will see…other places…the future…the past…old friends long gone…" _

Zel's dream began with those words…words Rezo had uttered when first teaching him how to get visions through meditation. It followed with the great tree of old Sairaag and he watched himself cast a simultaneous Rah Tilt powered by the sword of light with Amelia. The dream continued showing him bits and pieces of himself and Amelia together. Finally he was back in the forest where Rezo first turned him into a chimera. He looked around and realized he was standing in the very spot where Rezo had transformed him. The old familiar jingle of Rezo's staff made him whirl in the direction of the sound sword at the ready…

"Please Zel…I didn't come to harm you…" Rezo sighed sadly. For the first time Zel saw his brown eyes open to look at him directly. Sorrow and weariness etched clearly in his timeless face. He sheathed his sword and waited. Rezo had come to say something and he would give him that chance to speak.

"Zel since that day you fought Shabranigdo my soul has been earthbound…laden with the guilt of the misfortune my weakness brought to the world," he sighed once more sorrow deepening his frown. Unable to help himself Zel listened with avid interest. The little boy he had once been who wanted only for Rezo's approval spurred his curiosity.

"And since then I have followed you. My heart breaking each day from the suffering I selfishly inflicted upon you! I wanted to talk to you! To help you some how but this semi-existence is a prison that does not allow me to interact with your world." He paused as one quiet tear rolled down his cheek. It surprised Zel and he found himself smiling sadly back at him and taking a step towards him.

"After so many years I finally found a way to talk to you with your mind as open and free as it is now! I don't know if I'll ever be able to do it again so I must say all that I can now. I'm sorry Zelgadis! I'm sorry for all the harm I caused you!" Rezo's pained expression and the tears that now flowed freely down his face touched Zel and banished the last vestiges of anger and resentment that still lingered in his heart.

"I forgive you grandfather…Is there any way I can help you now? Is there any way to restore you to free you from this prison?" Zel replied truly concerned. Rezo smiled sadly and shook his head. He lifted his staff and when he struck back down on the ground the location changed and he was in the little room in Rezo's vault. Zel saw himself lying on the bed with Amelia curled up against his chest the two of them nearly buried under the blankets smiling contentedly in their sleep.

"Don't waste your time with any more endless searching! I'm fine! Just know that I am happy with what you've found! Know that I am proud of you and that I'll be watching…" he affirmed with a contented smile on his face.

"Tell your bride I'm glad that she's part of your life. She's perfect for you take good care of her…" he added smiling as he watched Amelia sleep peacefully in Zel's arms.

"I will…" Zel smiled just then Rezo looked up suddenly a concerned expression on his face and a far off look in his eyes. He closed his eyes and mumbling something Zel couldn't understand he summoned a little ball of white light on to the palm of his hand.

"Here take this!" he said his tone shifting from sad to urgent as the ball of light floated towards Zel.

"What is it?" Zel replied mystified as he reached out for it.

"It's a very powerful spell! My greatest discovery in fact during my research of the Claire Bible! But one I was never able to cast! It required a degree of love and selflessness that I did not posses while I was infected by Shabranigdo! I think you should be able to cast it just fine!" he explained with a proud smile.

"Ok… But why are you giving me this?" Zel asked confused as he took the little ball and felt the power of it infuse him.

"You must wake up now! Return to Saillune! There is grave danger approaching it! I'm sorry that I cannot help you more! This is all I can do…" he replied his expression once more pained and guilt stricken. Brau and Golem were roused from unconsciousness then by Zel's jolt of concern. Rezo smiled sadly once more.

"Now go! All of you go now and save the world one more time!" Rezo smiled sadly struck his staff once more and as the jingle from the rings of his staff dissipated he was startled awake!

"Amelia! Wake up! We have to go back!" he said hurrying out of bed regretting at the same time having to rouse her so roughly. Amelia frowned but hurried to dress. Quickly Zel explained his vision as they dressed. Once they were ready she wrapped her arms around his chest and the two of them vanished in a swirl of light…

* * *

They arrived in the corridor where Amelia and Phil's rooms were right outside of Phil's door. They were just in time to see Anzu on a stretcher being carried out by a couple of Saillune healer apprentices and Sylphiel. Zel spotted Gen. Walker talking to Trebek just beyond the ruined door of Phil's room.

Amelia stopped to ask Sylphiel what happened and help her handmaiden. Zel rushed past them stopping barely an instant to determine if Anzu was alright. The girl burst into tears as soon as she saw them but Zel knew she was in good hands. Amelia and Sylphiel could handle things there.

"I don't know…We'll have to wait until they return…" Walker replied softly to whatever Trebek had asked. Both men looked up and were obviously relieved that Zel had returned so quickly. Zel hurried towards them.

"What happened?" he asked urgently. Amelia's handmaidens were scattered about Phil's room picking through the rubble and none of them seemed to be able to look him in the eye. Briefly Walker explained what had occurred as he directed Zel to the balcony where the sorcerers had made their escape. Amelia joined them in the balcony full of questions tears streaming down her face.

"Don't worry Amelia! Lina and Gourry are on it! And Capt Kaiba is with them too! He'll be fine!" Zel reassured her.

"Y-Yes! You're right! They'll be back soon! I'm sure of it!" she asserted in a shaky voice. Zel put his arms around her trying to comfort her at the same time feeling frustrated that he wasn't there to help prevent this. His hackles were raised when an obnoxious grating voice suddenly piped up from behind them.

"Oh dear! What happened here?" Akmed asked in a tone that suggested he knew exactly what had happened. Zel turned lightning quick standing in front of Amelia as if to shield her.

"I think you know very well happened here!" Zel retorted angrily a spell already gathering in the palm of his hand. Gaston seemed concerned for a moment but recovered quickly as Akmed responded.

"Well yes of course! The extremely extensive gossip network that runs through this palace keeps **_everyone_** well informed of everything every royal here does! Quite distasteful in fact things will have to change when I'm in charge!" Akmed replied in a most imperious and obnoxious tone. Zel opened his mouth but Amelia beat him to it.

"Some one like you could never rule this fair and just land! As the princess of this land I demand that you return my father and leave these lands forever or face the hammer of justice that I shall strike upon you both!" Amelia intoned as serious as she could manage.

Under different circumstances her threats would sound ridiculous but as Gaston looked around at the threatening looks and battle stances of Amelia's loyal staff and the spells building on her and Zel's hands he gulped and inched closer to Akmed. As if to prove her point a mushroom of fire and smoke could be seen suddenly far in the distance just before a dull blast reached their ears. The tell tale signs of Lina's mighty Dragon Slave distracted Amelia making her jump for joy knowing Lina had succeeded in finding her Daddy. Zel smirked…

"Looks like Lina succeeded! Well enough of this you two! Your problem is with me and I think it's about time we settle this directly!" Zel challenged.

"Yes your right on that account…JAFAR!" Akmed called. In a puff of smoke Jafar appeared beside Akmed. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes as Akmed commanded him to kill Zelgadis. Just because he was a bottle genie now it didn't mean that the same restrictions as a lamp genie didn't apply in fact there were even more restrictions! Besides even if he could he wouldn't do it! Of course Akmed didn't need to know that. Zelgadis, the powerful grandson of his sorcery academy rival Rezo could certainly be of great use to him at some point in the near future.

'I'll just save you for later…I guess what you don't know CAN hurt you after all!' he thought amused as he raised his snake head staff…

* * *

"Jafar! Kill Zelgadis! NOW!" Akmed ordered. Zel didn't wait for it to come he threw his first fireball and it splashed harmlessly on a shield around Akmed and a slightly worried Gaston. Amelia's hit with equal effectiveness. But just as they were setting up for their simultaneous Rah Tilt Zel was engulfed in flames and with one slight grunt of pain he disappeared. The charred remains of his cape fell with a heavy thud and the box with Amelia's final birthday gift slipped slightly out of the pocket it was hidden in.

"No…" Amelia whispered softly in disbelief. She fell to her knees next to the spot her beloved Zelgadis had just stood seconds ago staring at the black spot on the ground in utter shock. Her shaking hands reached out to touch the cloth…

"You have one week! At the end of said week you will hand over your kingdom to me and be banished to the mountain kingdom! If you do not comply we will take what we want by force!" Akmed instructed imperiously to the stunned princess. Her staff in equal disbelief couldn't react to what was happening right away. Tifa was among the first to recover however and as she launched forward to reap her vengeance on Akmed so did everyone else.

'So many useful people!' Jafar smirked slightly as their attacks were deflected by Jafar's shield but he was careful not to harm them. Tifa – like the rest of Amelia and Phil's loyal personal staff – had a strong will and strong (yet too compassionate for their own good) heart she would be useful. _They_ would be most useful indeed. General Walker recovered then too!

"We would rather die! Then let you rule us!" Walker challenged as Amelia's staff moved quickly to surround the too stunned to move princess. Akmed looked worried for a second but drew himself to full height.

"One week General! Be sure to tell Prince Philionel when he returns!" Akmed commanded.

"Don't worry General the princess will be well taken care of in my kingdom!" Gaston added in a smarmy tone as the three of them vanished in a puff of black smoke…

* * *

"Hey guys! We're back!" Lina called out cheerfully as they arrived then feeling pretty good about them selves. Kaiba transformed back into a human as soon as Gourry and the prince got off. When no one turned immediately to look at them they knew something was horribly wrong.

"Hey guys what's going on?" Lina asked as she hurried to the other side of the balcony where everyone was gathered around one little spot. Phil pushed past Walker and Trebek to find his daughter on her knees staring in shock at a black spot on the ground clutching a piece of charred cloth to her chest.

"Amelia…" he shook her slightly but she was unresponsive. Walker knelt next to Phil and briefly explained what happened. Phil shook his head…

"No…it's not possible…it can't be! Not now! Not like this!" a tear slid down Phil's cheek as he gathered his precious daughter in his arms. Amelia was finally aware that he was back and she cried. She cried long and hard unaware that all her staff was doing the same even the mighty Lina Inverse buried her face in her husband's chest and sobbed quietly. Her Zelgadis was gone taken from her by greedy selfish men. It seemed impossible but there it was and Amelia knew that from this day forward she was in hell…

* * *

Zel opened his eyes and found himself in a strange place that smelled of rotting flesh and sulfur…

"Where the hell am I?" he asked the empty room.

"That's exactly where you are!" An ominous disembodied voice laughed. "Welcome to Hell Zelgadis Greywords!" the voice laughed as it dissipated.

"Wait! Who are you? How did I get here?" Zel demanded.

"I am Mundus the emperor of the underworld but do not worry Mr. Greywords we will have plenty of time to acquaint ourselves!" it laughed once more and then disappeared completely.

"Damn!" Zel cursed loudly as he looked around what seemed now like a cell. He tried to cast a fireball at the heavy wooden door but even though he could feel the magic gathering inside him he couldn't get anything to happen. The silence outside the cell was interrupted by sounds of shrieking and dying creatures, the unmistakable sound of a sword hitting flesh and loud rapid blasts. Again he tried to cast his magic but nothing happened.

'We're in trouble!' he thought as the battle sounds came closer and closer to his cell. Golem and Brau wordlessly agreed as they braced themselves for the worst…

* * *

Thanks for reading and reviewing!


	16. Interlude: Told ya there'd more!

**Return of the Magic of Carealot**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own: Slayers or Devil May Cry! Well actually I do! I beat one and two and I bought the special edition of three but I haven't beaten it yet…

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**We interrupt this program…**

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Victoria ran towards the Care bears' castle as the dark clouds gathered around Carealot. Amelia's grief had plummeted the caring meter almost all the way down to zero and it was going to cause a major catastrophe if she didn't get there quick! Quickly she cast a shield around the caring meter separating it from Amelia's heart for the time being. It returned to the highest position and temporarily banished the dark clouds. She breathed a slight sigh of relief but her task her was not done yet. She turned and found most of the Care Family assembled behind her.

"What happened?" True Heart asked perplexed. She descended the steps of the caring meters pedestal and knelt in front of True Heart.

"Amelia is in a deep state of grief…She believes that Zelgadis has been taken away from her forever!" she began solemnly. True Heart looked shocked and muttered her disbelief along with the others after all they had just been there mere hours ago and they looked so happy! She explained that at a warning of impending danger they returned to Saillune and that's when Zelgadis was taken. She believes that he was killed.

"Is there anything we can do?" Noble Heart added concerned. She nodded and smiled.

"Yes Noble Heart! I am on my way to arrange a rescue for Zelgadis but I will need help in convincing the person who can rescue him. I would like for you and True Heart to come with me please…" she hadn't even finished asking when ALL of the care bears and cousins were volunteering! She smiled and thanked them all but insisted that only True Heart and Noble Heart would be required for this mission. They went inside the castle and exchanged some goodbyes and well wishes. She tapped some special commands on the Rainbow rescue beam instructing Grumpy bear on how to get them back then all three disappeared…

* * *

They appeared on a dark dead end street lined at either side with shops of all kinds. All of them were closed except for the one at the end of the street. It's large bright red neon sign read: Devil Never Cry. Victoria led them towards that shop. The door was closed and as they knocked a male voice from inside the shop replied gruffly that they were closed. Victoria smiled and turned to her companions.

"Don't worry he always says that!" she said softly and entered anyway. A man in black pants and a black t-shirt with his black booted feet up on the desk leaned back with his eyes closed. Boxes lined one side of the large office. Victoria smirked as he noted the bare walls only the coat rack with his red trench coat and his guns hanging on their holster remained. Her companions hid behind her as they noted the large wicked looking swords and a large array of weapons mounted on the wall behind the desk.

"Are you deaf? We're closed! Nature calls are in the back if ya need it that bad! If not get out!" he roughly ordered.

"Are you going somewhere Mr. Dante?" she asked amused. The man looked up quickly.

"Hey! Old lady! What's up?" he said getting up to shake Victoria's hand. He turned to call someone from the back of the shop to come out and see who was calling.

"Naw! We're not moving! Trish just wanted me to take down some of the stuff! She says it's not appropriate!" he explained in a slightly annoyed tone gesturing towards the boxes lined against the wall. Again Victoria smirked in amusement. She had already guessed as much! Just then a tall beautiful and VERY pregnant blonde came waddling slowly out of the back room.

"I agree! Your marketing décor is not appropriate for the eyes of little children Mr. Dante!" Victoria replied with obvious amusement as she stepped forward to hug Dante's wife Trish.

"So what brings you to our shop?" Trish asked smiling tiredly taking Dante's empty chair. Her smile broadened as she caught sight of the two little beings that had been hiding behind Victoria.

"Business I am afraid…Please allow me to introduce True Heart Bear and Noble Heart Horse," Victoria announced happily. After exchanging a few cheerful pleasantries she explained to Dante and Trish that she had need of Dante's services in the matter of helping rescue a friend of theirs.

"As far as I know he is being held prisoner by Mundus in a pocket dimension a way station between this world and the underworld. He has been cut off from his powers and the longer he remains there the closer his imprisonment will drift towards the underworld," she explained her tone urgent.

"There is a portal in Mallett Island that can lead you directly to his cell but as you know with hell dimensions time is of the essence," she concluded. Dante looked dubious. The lady usually paid well on the rescue missions she hired him for and business had been slow lately but spending a couple of hours in the underworld meant losing a week more or less in the world. His twins were due any day now and he really didn't want to miss that arrival!

"I…" he began about to refuse.

"Please Mr. Dante! We know you don't want to leave your family but you're the only one who can rescue our friend!" True Heart pleaded.

"Zelgadis has a family too! And they need him! You're the only one who can help! Please!" added Noble Heart. Dante wrinkled his face looking on the verge of changing his mind. He looked at his wife and she just smiled back at him.

"Of course I am prepared to compensate you appropriately Mr. Dante," Victoria put in solemnly producing a large brick of cash from her coat and placing it on the desk.

"Two hundred and fifty now another two hundred and fifty when you complete the mission," she declared seriously. Dante's eyes went wide! It wasn't every day you get handed that much cash for a simple rescue mission. Still he wasn't quite ready to just jump in to the fray. Going to the underworld was serious business who was this guy that he was worth half a mil anyway?

"Dante…I know you don't want to miss their arrival but you'll have plenty of time to make it up to them!" Trish began reaching for her husband's hand.

"And think about it Mr. Dante! You can regale your children with the tale of how you bravely went to the underworld to save a prince from another world! A far more appropriate tale than some of your other adventures Mr. Dante!" Victoria added solemnly though Trish noticed a twinkle of merriment in her eyes.

"Wait! This guy's a prince?" Dante interjected surprised. The half million reward (three time more than her usual offers) was making sense now!

"Well sort of…" True Heart replied and explained he was a sorcerer engaged to marry a princess in a land called Saillune.

"Ah I see…" he paused to mull things over for a second. An encouraging smile from Trish and the large brick of cash sitting on his desk finally convinced him.

"Ok I'll do it on the condition that you provide transportation to and from the island," Dante began seriously explaining that a few weeks ago he and Trish had sold the biplane they originally used to escape the island in order to set up a "baby" fund. There were no ships sailing out there either so getting a private charter would be the only way and it was much too expensive considering how rough the waters in the area were.

"Done! True Heart and Noble Heart can take you to the island! From there you will go to Saillune…" Victoria instantly agreed. She explained that the care leaders could summon a flying ship to transport him. Zelgadis possessed an item that would be able to open the door in the underworld that would lead directly to the capital city of Saillune. She handed him a picture of Zelgadis with Amelia in Carealot that she'd taken from her sensor's records earlier.

"I will join you there and provide you with the means for your return!" Victoria added all business now.

"Alright! Let's Rock!" he said as he marched over to his coat rack took his trench coat and put it on then grabbed his guns. He paused at the wall behind his desk to add a couple of swords and a shot gun to his arsenal. He scribbled Zel's name on the back of the picture as well as the two care leader's names. Victoria explained Zel was an accomplished swordsman and that he was part demon but had no idea how to use a devil trigger thus why he remained imprisoned.

"I wish I could go with you…" Trish began wistfully as True Heart and Noble Heart cheered and hurried outside to call their cloud ship.

"We shall join Mr. Dante in Saillune as soon as it is safe Mrs. Trish!" Victoria reassured and let Dante know that she would remain with Trish until that time. They walked out together and Dante in uncharacteristic gentleman fashion opened the door for his wife and Victoria. Trish laughed as she took in the sight of the ship! Its star shaped sail twinkled in the night sky as a rainbow colored plank extended from its white fluffy side.

"NO! NO! AND NO! I am **_not_** getting on that thing!" Dante protested glaring at the two laughing and whispering women. Victoria produced a small digital camera from a pocket in her black trench coat and smiling broadly handed it to Trish who immediately began to snap pictures at the thing! True Heart came down from the ship and gave Dante her most sad and pathetic puppy face!

"Mr. Dante…is there something wrong?" she said softly. Dante swallowed an angry growl and glared at Victoria. He put a light peck on his wife's cheek and reluctantly walked towards the fluffy white ship muttering angrily as he went.

"Dante wait!" Trish called out to him and he turned mid-way up the colorful ramp.

"Smile!" she said sweetly and snapped another picture! Victoria stifled a laugh as she waved goodbye. Dante rolled his eyes and entered the ship. As they sailed away Trish could see him testing the cloud-like sides and glaring at it suspiciously as if he expected it to evaporate any second. Trish laughed but turned serious as the ship disappeared and a dagger materialized in her hand. At lightning speed that dagger was a hairs-breadth away from Victoria's neck. Victoria was unfazed.

"Dante **_will_** return safely…correct?" Trish asked her glaring at the older woman. Victoria merely smiled.

"Dante…son of Sparda has nothing to fear from where he's going," she sighed nostalgically as she continued to watch the ship shrinking in the distance.

"His first trip to Mallett Island was far more dangerous than this one will be! And if memory serves _you_ were the one who lured him there that time," Victoria retorted leveling Trish with a stern look. Trish returned the dagger to its hidden sheath in the ample sleeves of her maternity blouse and sighed heavily. She stroked her large belly and a tear slid down her cheek.

"I'm just afraid…this is the underworld we're talking about here! And Mundus has a score to settle with Dante," she sighed once again and slowly turned away to re-enter their shop. Victoria put a comforting hand on Trish's back.

"There now child! There is nothing for you to fear! Mr. Dante is quite a capable young man! He will be just fine! Mundus us no threat to him now," she reassured in a motherly fashion. Trish smiled back weakly.

"Now while I wait for my little friends to return would you like to go visit Carealot?" she invited with a mischievous smile.

* * *

Dante stood at the ship's aft deck watching his street disappear then turned to his little hosts.

"Thank you for your help Mr. Dante!" True Heart cheerfully piped up before he could say anything.

"We really do appreciate it!" Noble Heart added.

"No sweat! Now how long 'til we get there?" he asked wanting to get off that ship as soon as he could manage!

"Soon I think," said Noble Heart. Dante nodded but continued to frown.

"Shouldn't one of you actually be at the helm? How is this thing flying anyway?" he asked trying not to sound too annoyed.

"It flies with the good feelings in our hearts!" True heart answered cheerfully. Dante stared at her like she'd lost her mind.

"Yes all the good feelings we have towards our family and friends and all the people we care about lifts it and makes it fly!" Noble heart added equally cheerful. Dante nodded slowly but still didn't look all that convinced. He wondered when this thing would plummet to the ocean due to his bad feelings about _it_.

"Ok fine so how does it know where we're going?" he asked worried now that he'd end up in some wild goose chase!

"It senses where we want to go and takes the straightest path there!" Noble Heart answered. Again Dante just looked at them like they where both nuts! But before he could say anything True Heart spotted something in the distance.

"Mr. Dante is that it?" she asked pointing at a small island in the distance that seemed to be approaching quickly. Choppy waters surrounded the place and he could see storm clouds gathering around it.

"Yea that's it!" he called back to her. The wind picked up as they neared the island making it difficult for them to hear each other. As soon as they were in range they realized that the destruction from the last time he was here would make it impossible for the little ship to land. He made his way to the starboard bow and looked down from the railing.

"How are you going to get down Mr. Dante?" True Heart called out worriedly holding on to the rail near the helm. The wind was really howling now!

"Maybe we can extend the ramp all the way down," Noble Heart suggested struggling to keep the helm steady. Dante looked back towards them a big grin on his face.

"Ramp? Ramps are for wimps! Thanks for the ride! See you two around!" he called out cheerfully. He tossed them a jaunty salute before he back flipped his way off the ship with great flourish. He landed easily enough and looked up to see the little cheerful ship drifting off. True Heart waved at him.

"Good Luck Mr. Dante! Be careful! We care about you too!" she was yelling down as the ship drifted away to safer currents. He laughed and waved then ran into the ruins. He figured then that it made sense that creatures like them existed. If there were demons that _hated _every thing that lived then there must be beings that _loved_ all that lived. He decided he liked that idea as he entered what remained of the room where he'd defeated his brother Vergil one final time. A dark swirling pool was in the center of the room.

"Clock is ticking!" he said to the empty room and stepped right into the pool. As he dropped into the hell dimension he was immediately assaulted by its denizens. The rapport of his guns disposed of the flying creatures that swooped towards him to attack. He made his way at a fairly good pace knocking down doors in the long hallway that looked like it was a prison.

"Ok where the hell is this guy?" he mumbled annoyed as he shot down a demonic bird. Most of the cells were empty except for the rotting carcasses of Mundus' "guests". His sword swung expertly to cut down the creatures that attacked him from the cells that were not empty. He reached the final cell in the hallway as Death Scythes and Death Scissors attacked him but his shotgun and sword combo took them down soon enough. He kicked open the final door and noticed there seemed to be a man dressed in white half hidden by the shadows of the cell inside.

"Who are you?" a deep voice demanded roughly. Dante put his sword away searching through his pockets for the picture Victoria gave him absently shooting a creature that was slithering up behind him. He looked at it then checked the name in the back before responding.

"Are you Zelgadis Greywords?" Dante asked casually. Zel stepped forward proudly.

"I am!" he declared solemnly.

'Yep! Definitely a prince!' Dante thought amused "Name's Dante! A couple of friends of yours sent me to bust you out!" he replied as he shot yet another awful slithering creature without even looking.

"Which friends?" Zel asked obviously not ready to trust this would be rescuer yet! Dante turned away and noticed the re-enforcements were arriving and frowned.

"True Heart and Noble Heart! They say hi! Now come on lets go!" Dante urged as Ebony and Ivory began blasting in synch the creatures that came towards them. The mention of the Care Leaders was enough to convince Zel however and he quickly joined Dante outside the cell.

"Nice to meet you Dante just call me Zel! Mind if I borrow your sword? Can't seem to be able to use my magic here…" Zel suggested as he stood next to Dante. Dante motioned for him to take one of the swords on his back as he continued to fire on the creatures. Zel took it quickly and without prompting attacked one of the creatures that had slithered past Dante's cover fire. As the second wave relented they hurried back down the hall.

"How come your guns don't need to be reloaded?" Zel asked as they fought another horde. Dante quickly explained that he was a half demon and that his demon power was what created the ammo for all of his weapons.

"Here! You can use this one!" Dante added tossing him the shotgun. As they battled their way down the hallway Dante explained how he could harness his demon power and use it to power both his sword attacks as well as the shotgun. When they finally reached the end of the hallway to the spot Dante had dropped from he was not surprised to see the portal he dropped from was gone.

"Ok so now what?" Zel asked starting to feel a little desperate. He wanted to be back with Amelia. Dante had explained that time moved more slowly in hell and this was something he did not like.

"Well the old lady said you have something that can lead us back to Say-June or wherever the heck you're from!" Dante replied as they battled the last stragglers.

"It's Saillune and I don't understand I didn't have anything with me when I got here…" he began but just as he was doing so the ring Amelia gave him began to glow. A previously hidden door opened and a large empty cavern was suddenly illuminated. There was a white glowing door at the other side of the cavern.

"Bet you that's it!" Dante declared jovially slapping Zel playfully in the back and the two of them headed towards it. As they set foot inside the cave a gigantic lava spider dropped from the ceiling. The floor shook violently for a few seconds from the weight of the creature but Zel and Dante were easily able to stay on their feet.

"HALT MORTALS! YOU WILL GO NO FURTHER FOR THIS WILL BE YOUR TOMB!" the creature's voice boomed ominously. Zel growled angrily at being impeded from reaching Amelia once more and readied his sword.

"What? Mundus sent _you_! Didn't I kick your sorry butt twice Phantom?" Dante retorted heavily annoyed. The creature roared in anger.

"You know Phantom this guy's a prince you'd think Mundus would've sent something a little better than _you_ to stop me! Like Cerberus or Beowulf or you know maybe come himself," Dante continued to taunt then turned to Zel "I'd be pretty insulted if I were you Zel!" Zelgadis chuckled in spit of the situation.

"_INSOLENT MORTAL!_ THE ONE YOU FACED WAS BUT AN UNDERLING! I AM THE KING OF THE PHANTOMS AND YOU SHALL FIND I AM NOT SO EASILY DEFEATED SON OF SPARDA!" the creature roared in anger.

"Oh really! The King eh? Well why didn't you say so?" Dante mocked Zel laughed again.

"Bring it!" he challenged with his left hand gesturing for him to come closer. The creature roared one more time and began spitting lava from its mandibles. Zel dodged left Dante went right. His guns began blasting away at the spider creature and Zel did the same with the shotgun. Then something amazing happened Dante transformed! Black wings appeared on his back large horns on his head and his body seemed encased in black armor.

'Zel we can do that too! I just figured it out!' shouted Brau and before Zel knew what was happening he was in the air too! His body encased in red armor and he caught a brief glimpse of red wings lifting him above the Phantom King. He felt suddenly as though his power had tripled and it was somewhat addictive! In coordinated sword attacks he and Dante slashed at the great creature's head weakening it and finally revealing a weak spot. Unfortunately the power up was temporary and he and Dante dropped back to the ground as they returned to their original forms.

"It's called devil trigger!" Dante explained before Zel could ask what happened. As they dodged more of the lava spit Dante tossed him a little purple star. He explained it would restore the demon power. Brau urged him to use it quickly because he – his demon part that is – had been severely weakened by that transformation!

"This time while I attack you fly all the up and cleave one those stone spikes up there! That ought to finish this quick!" he finished and ran forward toward the creature yelling for Zel to wait for his signal. Zel absorbed the little star and continued to fire the shotgun. Dante transformed once more and went up into the air. Zel did the same but went higher still as Dante lured the enraged creature with more taunts and insults.

'Zel! I can make the spike heavier! Let me cleave it!' Golem shouted excitedly and with a touch of amazement watched his arm transform into a large stone blade. As the creature reached the target spot Golem poured energy into the rock spike and then neatly sliced it off. The spike impaled the creature dead center and it slammed to the ground melting as it thrashed in a vain attempt to escape his death.

"_How is this possible…curse you son of Sparda,_" the creature gurgled as its body melted into the ground.

"Boy if I had a nickel for every time one of you guys say that!" Dante teased and Zel laughed as he joined Dante.

"… _and you prince from another world… curse you!_" it gurgled one more time as it melted away completely. Dante rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Drama Queens all of them! Ok we wasted enough time with this loser! Now let's blow this joint!" Dante declared.

"Right behind you!" Zel replied feeling full energy and anxious to return to his beloved! The door opened at a touch of Zel's hand and they stepped through but as the door closed and disappeared behind him the scene before him caused him to question whether he was still in hell or if hell had followed him home…

* * *

Ok well! I love Dante! He's just cool! He merits his own chapter! What can I say? Anyway this concludes our broadcast from the underworld we now return you to the regularly scheduled programming!

Thank you for reading and reviewing!


	17. Prelude to Battle

**Revenge of the Magic of Carealot**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own: Slayers or anything else that ends up on this story! Especially Waldo…

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**Insert: Prelude to the impending battle…and a little more Dragon talk!**

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"It can't be! It just can't!" Lina growled once more as she examined for the millionth time the spot where Zel vanished. Gourry patiently stood by watching her quietly. She had been doing and saying the same thing for 3 days now since the kidnapping. Anzu – dressed in the formal purple robes of mourning – softly passed on a short message to Gourry.

"Lina we have to go…Amelia's gonna give her speech now," he said softly placing a hand gently on her shoulder. Lina nodded and sighed in defeat but Gourry knew she would return here tomorrow. Hand in hand they made their way to the grand balcony where Amelia was to speak to her people and tell them of the choice Akmed and Gaston had forced upon her.

Scouts in the remote watch stations at the borders of Saillune had spotted a horde of monsters and creatures of every kind. Their numbers rivaled that of the Saillune army but General Walker had marshaled his forces that morning and ridden out to meet them in battle! Lina arrived as stone faced Amelia prepared to place the choice before her people.

"Whatever happens Amelia…we're with you!" Lina asserted putting firm hands on Amelia's shoulders. Filia squeezed Amelia's hand gently and nodded resolutely in silent agreement with Lina's words. Amelia nodded in solemn gratitude and stood gracefully and solemnly from her oversized chair. She felt dead inside. In the course of her life she had lost too many of those she held dearest to her: Her mother, her sister, her uncles and cousin and now her beloved Zelgadis.

There was no hope left in her. Everything she'd believed in had failed her. She had always been willing to believe that tomorrow would be better if you just keep believing in yourself but losing Zelgadis was a breaking point for her. She could no longer muster the strength to believe that tomorrow would be better. As far as she could tell she was destined to lose all that she loved. Everything she loved was doomed! She raised her hands and cast an amplification spell so all could hear her.

"My people I address you today because a grave choice has been placed before me…" she began solemnly as silence fell upon the crowd. She explained the terms of Gaston's threat but she explained that a choice that impacted so heavily upon all… was a choice she couldn't make alone. So she put herself in their hands. She would willingly surrender to Akmed and Gaston if it would spare the destruction of her beloved country.

"On the other hand the brave soldiers and sorcerers of this land have already committed themselves to fight and defend their homes to the last one of them! As the ruler of this country I put the choice before you: Fight or Surrender…" she concluded solemnly. The deep silence that weighed heavily upon the crowd was broken by one small voice. A skinny teenager wearing large round glasses and a funny hat spoke first:

"Fight! I will fight!" he yelled as loud as he could. Amelia didn't know who he was but for some strange reason she could always spot him no matter how big the crowd. Encouraged by this teenager's boldness the people around him yelled their agreement and soon a chant rose up from the crowd:

_**FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!**_

Philionel smiled sadly and placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder. He had been certain this would be the choice though to Amelia it didn't seem to matter. Saillune would be destroyed one way or the other. At least that's what she had said to parliament the day before and she was partially right. But as long as its people survived there was hope to rebuild. It pained him deeply to see her as she was now she had not cried since that day but she had not smiled or laughed its as if the light inside her had finally been extinguished.

"This is the Plan…" Phil intoned solemnly. He immediately explained the plan to evacuate all those who could not fight but most families had already sent their children and their elderly away to safer grounds. Anyone capable of carrying a weapon should report to the armory. Zangalus insisted Martina and the girls leave as soon as they found out but he remained behind.

She dispatched a contingent of troops from Xoana expected to arrive the day after tomorrow to join the ones from Argonia and Galbadia that had arrived yesterday. It had been a pleasant surprise to see Prince Pavan shy as he was stand up and pledge his support to the troops of Saillune in defending the castle. He had even sent a messenger to send troops but his land was so far away it was uncertain whether they would make it in time.

Auron and his apprentice were no surprise but Prince Charmles predictably enough found an excuse to flee early on as did the other prince-lings who were cowards and had stayed merely to save face before. They chose now to save their worthless hides!

Auron was in command of the Argonian troops positioned near the castle itself and Tidus volunteered to serve with Kaiba's men guarding the castle perimeter. Yuna and her handmaiden/bodyguards would help guard the castle too. Squall, Cloud and Zell volunteered to guard the medic teams that would head out into the city. No surprise since Aerith, Rinoa and Sylphiel would be heading some of those teams.

Mai and Jessie would head out with the first line of defense at the city gates. Chelsea had joined with the heavy artillery squads and left with General Walker that morning. Raven's powerful unerring aim would be put to the ultimate test high on the first guard tower at the city gates. Her job would be to stop as many as she could with her magical bow and arrows.

Tifa and Yuffie would join Squall and the others in the inner city to protect the medical squads and stop anything that snuck past the gates defenses. Lisa would head one of the med teams along with Kelly Morris. Though she had retired from her fighting handmaiden days she volunteered to serve when her husband Zack rode off with General Walker. Anzu would remain at the castle with Kaiba's men and be the last line of defense. So would Lina, Gourry and Zangalus.

"Anyone who cannot travel will be moved to the castle away from the battlefield!" Phil concluded as he watched people young and old line up and followed Capt Kaiba up to the armory. He turned to Amelia.

"Now we wait…" he said softly. She nodded and continued to watch as her people purposefully prepared to defend their homes. Lina, Gourry and Zangalus joined her on the balcony.

"I think General Walker will stop them though!" Gourry reassured.

"Yes… he'll have them running to their mommies!" Zangalus added with a smirk. Amelia sighed she knew what they were doing. They were trying to cheer her up. So with effort she conjured a small weak smile and nodded making a comment on how she hoped they were right. She turned back to look at her city the flags flew at half-mast in mourning. Deep inside her she wanted to believe that she could see this city next week and not see the destruction that she was certain would befall it.

'Nothing is left…the hero wasn't supposed to die…' she thought as her mind created an image of what her city would look like after the battle. Her heart sunk even lower.

* * *

Meanwhile General Walker's forces were poised on the brink of battle. He walked the lines of the men and women serving with him giving the occasional morale boosting praise. According to his scouts the monstrous army had not reached the borders of Saillune and was still at least two days out from their reach. The report came back that the citizens of Saillune as one decided to stand and fight and he smiled as he shared the information with his troops.

"We are the first line of defense! We will hold our position with our strength and honor! Nothing will get past us!" the general called out as a roar of approval rose from his troops. He nodded in approval and turned to look in the distance where the dark outline of the evil army could barely be seen. According to the scouts they were still a couple of days away from the Saillune border they now stood guard on.

"Ok you two! Bring it on!" he said softly a smirk of challenge on his lips…

* * *

'Damn it all!' Kaiba grumbled angrily as he made his way to his quarters to check on Mokuba and Val. It angered him that he had been helpless to assist his princess and Lord Greywords when they needed him most. It was utterly frustrating to him that he could not help Prince Phil and the Queen now! All he ever wanted in his life was to be strong enough to protect that which he cared for the most.

Lord Greywords hadn't just been his liege he had been his friend. One person he would freely admit to anyone that he could respect and admire above all others. He was the one person from whom he had learned the most about life and about himself. He had become a stronger and a better person for his wisdom and guidance and when he could've done something to help him…

"I wasn't there!" he growled angrily as he paused outside the door to his new little townhouse recently acquired after so many years of working hard and saving. He looked around as people hurried up and down the street. Neighbors paused to say their farewells to those who would stay to fight or remind each other what part of the city they would defend promising to do it together. His resolve steeled as he watched the sun set behind the palace.

'I will defend this city! I will find the strength this time to protect what I love!' He promised himself firmly banishing the anger sorrow he felt in his heart as he entered the house. As he went up a short staircase that separated the door from the living areas and entered the living room/dining room area he was a little surprised to see Ms. Filia asleep on his couch. Mokuba and Val were being quieter than he'd ever seen them sitting on the floor working on a puzzle. She did not stir as he approached.

Ms. Filia had revealed herself a dragon in the interest of helping evacuate those who couldn't travel on land by air instead of putting them in the castle. He knelt in front of her to watch her for a moment. The children joined him there quietly and he put an arm around each child. He wasn't surprised that she'd be tired she had been ferrying the sick and elderly and anyone else unable to make the long travels for two days now with hardly a break.

When she wasn't doing that every priest and white magic user in the city hounded her every spare moment so she could bestow on them some special dragon knowledge or a simple blessing in hopes for their victory. She had not a moment's peace since she showed herself in dragon form. To be honest Seto too had been awestruck. Ms. Filia was every bit as magnificent as he imagined her to be.

'Radiant as the sun but even as amazing as you are you too have your limits…' he thought hoping that once the battle began tomorrow he would have strength enough to protect her too. With a few signals he sent Mokuba and Val to prepare the bed in the main room upstairs. The two children hurried up the stairs as Seto carefully lifted Filia from the couch and headed up the stairs.

'At least I can protect your rest right now,' Seto thought as he made his way carefully up the stairs so as to not wake her. Filia had denied no one but the children had started getting worried about her lack of respite. It was likely they who insisted she come here rather than go back to their quarters in the palace where everyone would be pounding constantly on her door. He placed her gently on his bed and the boys covered her quickly. She sighed contently and snuggled into the blankets. Seto signaled for the boys to follow him out and he closed the door behind them.

"Mokuba…Val there's something both of you will need to hear…" he said solemnly and lead both boys back downstairs. He sat them both on the couch and sitting on the coffee table he faced both children. Both looked at him expectantly the awe and love in their eyes went straight to his heart. Contrary to what Anzu usually said he did have one!

'But I am still lowly compared to you both!' he sighed then began the sad tale of his past. "Mokuba you know that I am the last trained druid. I know you've always wondered why you can't do some of the things druids can do even though you can feel plenty of power within you," he continued recounting the times Seto had told the boy he would understand in time. There was no time now however…

"I am the last druid and you are a dragon," Mokuba stared incredulous and shook his head Val merely smiled and nodded. Seto was not surprised that the boy had sensed it.

"Long ago we druids were beloved of the Ancient Dragons. They protected us as we protected the forests and the natural world but a war broke out between the Ancients and the Golden Dragons…" he recounted that when they realized that they were losing a few of the Ancients took their eggs and entrusted them to the druids for safe keeping.

"Your mother cast a concealment spell altering your memory when you hatched so you would be safe among us until you were old enough to defend yourself," he continued however the Goldens got wind of it and they attacked all the druid villages. But not knowing which were the dragons and which the druids they wiped everyone out.

"We were no match for them I carried you into the forest but despite nature's protection I could do nothing against the two dragons coming after me," he said softly recalling the shame and guilt he felt at not being strong enough to protect his charge. Both stared in shock at him but said nothing.

"I thought we were going to die but one of the golden dragons turned against her comrades and came to our aid," Seto spoke more quickly now as he could see rage building in Val's eyes and Val was dangerous when angry despite being young. The golden dragon cast a spell sending him and Mokuba far into the future to lands far away from the war. Thus he and Mokuba ended up here in Saillune…

"I do not harbor any ill will towards Ms Filia because she simply had no fault in any of it. As druids we were taught to revere all dragons whether golden or ancient and to us death is a celebration for the forest gives us life and then takes us back into its arms…the final step in achieving enlightenment," he said this to Val with a look of nostalgia and a glimpse in his tone of the happiness and pride his people once took in their simple ways.

For a minute he found himself sidetracking talking wistfully about how his grandmother taught him to hear the voice of the forest feel its beating heart and become one with its spirit. How his father taught him to find the gifts that the forest freely bestowed to its inhabitants to feed and clothe their people. He smiled sadly as he talked about his mother and the ointments and salves, potions and stews she taught him to make at the hearth in their humble yet happy abode.

"It's been so many years since I've allowed myself to remember," Seto sighed wistfully as he looked upon the two silent children. Val's rage calmed and turned to sadness as Seto going back now to his story explained that as they disappeared he witnessed as she was killed by her own people for her betrayal.

He further explained that Mokuba had been too young to remember the ordeal. That and the fact that he was the last hatchling to receive the concealment spell hampered his ability to remember his time among the druids or the how to use the abilities that are innate to him. Seto had been a very young boy too barely ten years old. He was a genius then too which came as no surprise to his clan being the grandson of the clan matriarch. He had showed advancement far beyond his years.

"I'm sorry I kept it a secret Mokuba but it was my sacred duty to protect you until the time you could recall your ancient past on your own! It was the vow I made to your mother and the golden dragon who sacrificed her life to save us both!" he was speaking with an urgency and determination that kept both the children silent eyes wide with amazement.

"I don't know how to break your mother's spell only you can! I hope you can find the way soon because there is more I need you to do…" he hesitated but pressed on knowing that what he said next was necessary even if his pride and honor didn't agree with it!

"If the battle goes badly _both_ of you must use your powers and get Ms Filia away from here! The three of you must live no matter what!" he affirmed banishing the sting of shame at once again not being able to repay his debt on his own. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that. Little Val seemed to finally find his voice then as he threw himself in Seto's arms.

"No! No! No Seto-papa I won't let you die! I won't! I won't!" he cried his voice muffled because his face was buried in Seto's jacket. Mokuba jumped in then too throwing his arms around both Seto and Val tears streaming down his face too.

"I don't care what I am you're still my big brother! I won't let go!" he sobbed in to Seto's arms which now encircled both children. He sighed and smiled sadly.

"Even if my life doesn't end tomorrow it will still be extinguished well before your ancient years are over," he began in that serious lecturing tone that was his trademark "but as long as the forest exists so will I!" he ended with conviction. Slowly the children stopped crying.

"Ok… but can you please not die tomorrow?" little Val asked hiccupping and sobbing. Seto chuckled and ruffled his hair.

"I will do my very best to delay the call of the forest tomorrow," he answered solemnly. He got up finally and told them to pick up their toys and puzzles while he went to prepare dinner. He did his best to assure them that their victory was certain. Despite his valiant effort though the children still feared for their beloved protector and both decided to make their own plans…

Victoria arrived at Carealot with Trish and the two hurried to the hall of hearts to gather the Care Family. Trish asked why the weird little heart shaped clock with no numbers wasn't working. Victoria quickly explained about the connection between the Caring Meter and Zelgadis' fiancée as they hurried forward and that she had to disable it for the time being.

"Alright I've assembled you all because Amelia and her friends need a little help!" Victoria began. True Heart and Noble Heart returned as she explained what was happening in Saillune and how the eager little bears and their cousins could assist…

* * *

Ok my Slayers muse is definitely on the mend and it was once again my five year old son accomplished this shall we say feat? He suggested I make up a Power Rangers story with the Slayers. So we watched the season three episode with Amelia and Gourry but he was not satisfied so he made me watch his new Power Rangers Mystic Force DVDs 'til my brain turned to mush and finally new life was breathed back into my helpless muse!

Fear not for no Power Rangers will make appearances here! Come on people haven't I done enough with inflicting Care Bears on you!


	18. Of Love and other Demons Part2

**Revenge of the Magic of Carealot**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own: Slayers or anything else that ends up on this story! Especially Waldo…

* * *

**Episode 10: Of Love and Other Demons…**

**Part II**

* * *

A short austere ceremony found Amelia being crowned as queen of Saillune the day after the speech so she could have full authority to deliver the verdict to Gaston and Akmed. A simple gold and silver circlet was used for the ceremony instead of the regular highly ceremonial crown simply because it was the last of Zel's gifts to Amelia. It was found by her in the remains of his cape and she insisted that it be used.

By the time the deadline day arrived the city had been fully barricaded and prepared for battle. It would be obvious to even Akmed and Gaston what Amelia's response would be. Amelia stood on the main balcony overlooking the city as her two adversaries suddenly appeared floating on a stone platform.

"Well it seems you have decided to be destroyed princess?" Akmed began in his irritating nasally voice.

"We shall never surrender to the likes of you!" Amelia replied solemnly a roar of approval rose from her troops. Lina couldn't hold back any longer.

"And I'm gonna kick your butts! You watch I'm gonna shove a dragon slave right up your asses you just wait and see!" she yelled at them as Gourry struggled to keep her from flying off and making good on her threat.

"You have our answer!" Amelia added defiantly. Akmed shrugged arrogantly and said something to his servant Jafar. Jafar raised his staff and a smaller army than the one poised to battle Gen Walker appeared just under a mile away from the city gates!

"Very well then as you wish!" replied Akmed as he laughed and the battle began…

* * *

Gen Walker sounded the order as the enemy was finally within their reach. His army launched it self forward to attack. Charged and battle ready they seemed almost invincible their enemies seemed immobilized by the ferocity of their conviction! As they reached the first line of monsters though they realized that it wasn't fear that had frozen the enemy horde. Walker's sword slashed harmlessly through the first creature as did all other attacks!

"They're fakes!" shouted Trebek. Horrified Walker watched as the images of the creatures that had seemed so real and life-like from a distance shimmered and disappeared.

"We've been tricked into leaving the city unguarded!" Walker realized with shock. "Retreat! Fall back to the city at full speed!" He called out urgently to his confused troops. As the general gave the command it donned on the soldiers that even if they hurried it would take them at least a day to reach the city!

As they galloped or as was the case with those on foot ran as fast as they could a band of strange little white flying vehicles flew quickly towards them.

"General Walker! We're here to help!" called True Heart. He called the order to halt staring in surprise at the little creatures whom he'd seen only once at the princess' ball last week. As the ground troops caught up the road in front of him was suddenly painted in rainbow colors by what he could only describe as magic beams coming from the little critters' bellies. One of the little vehicles which Walker now saw was a funny shaped cloud carrying True Heart and Noble Heart swooped towards him.

"Take this road and as long as your hearts believe and care for your friends back in Saillune you'll get there in no time!" explained True Heart. He stepped onto their magical road. In a few steps he saw the countryside whiz past him at a speed not possible for any horse! He stopped and called to his troops to follow him into the road.

"Wow!" he heard Trebek exclaim as his second pulled up next to him. He turned to his troops and ordered them to continue as fast as their hearts would carry them. Then he galloped forward and as the countryside whizzed past he turned to glance at his troops amazed at how the ones on foot were keeping up with those on horse back. He smiled…

'Hold on Saillune rescue is on its way…' he thought praying for more speed. The road grew brighter and the scenery past by even more quickly as it fed on their good feelings and sped them on their way…

* * *

High up on the city walls Raven turned for a second as she loaded the first of her arrows onto her magical bow. She waved at Mai and Jessie who were ready to head up the ground assault.

"Cory! No matter what happens don't stop handing me those arrows you got that!" she ordered her 13 year old brother who had refused to leave with the evacuees. He nodded firmly and she took aim upon the horde of ogres, trolls, draconian and every manner of horrible creature that could be conjured out of someone's nightmares.

She called upon the magic of the ancient bow of elven make that had been handed down to the females in her family for centuries. She ignored the roar of the flying creatures that soared over head carrying more evil troops past the gates in to the city and concentrated on the first land wave. She would deal with the flying ones soon enough! She would let the other archers deal with them for now.

"_Hail of Arrows!_" she called and her precisely aimed arrow turned into 100 arrows and the first wave was felled by the deadly rain. A cheer went up in the soldiers below as they charged in to attack! Raven heard none of it as she immersed herself in the magic of the bow and one after the other the minions fell…

* * *

Large creatures rained from the sky as Squall and Co. prepared themselves for battle.

"Here they come!" he called out but Rinoa had already cast the protection spells around the fighters nearest her. The rapport of Irvine's shotgun could be heard as the creatures dropped and Squall cast his fire spells just before he swung his mighty sword. Argonian troops joined with Galbadian soldiers and volunteer Saillune troops in the city and as the monsters fell from the sky they were immediately cut down.

Swords clashed, axes swung arrows flew and spells fired upon the invading army. One young woman in mismatched armor attacked a draconian with a heavy frying pan even! Large lizard-like creatures with three heads each dripping venom and acid from their pores sprouted from the ground and Cloud swung his massive sword to take down one with a little help from Squall.

"There are less than I thought there would be," Squall commented unfazed standing back to back with Cloud as the other man called back his agreement. Tidus caught up with them and as they tackled another two creatures together he let them know that Kaiba was holding his own at the gate but Auron was backed against a wall with three of those lizard things. Squall looked up to check on Rinoa but Quistis – her Captain of the Guard – was already there and managed to dispatch one of the ugly three-headed creatures with her mighty Degenerator spell.

"Ok let's go help him!" Squall suggested. Cloud nodded as he quickly glanced at Aerith but her team had joined Tifa and Yuffie and they had already dispatched several trolls and more than a few draconians. The lizard things seemed intent on getting to the castle itself and paid no attention to anyone outside the main road. The three swordsmen hurried further up the main road and indeed Auron was trapped by two of the creatures.

"AURON!" Tidus, Cloud and Squall yelled as one as they hurried towards him. Standing in a semi-crouching stance with his long massive sword resting on his shoulder Auron studied calmly the two creatures that advanced slowly towards him over the rim of his sunglasses. Their venom dripped dangerously close to Auron but the older swordsman was unfazed as he staunchly stood his ground with his back almost against the side of a building.

"We're coming Auron!" Tidus called as they waded through some minor creatures trying to get to Auron.

"Hurry or the old man's gonna be toast!" Cloud called out to his companions Squall called back his agreement. Auron smirked slightly and pushed up his sunglasses

"_Your pain shall be two fold!_" Auron called out and with a mighty one handed swing of his sword _both_ creatures were destroyed! Squall, Cloud and Tidus came to a screeching halt and gaped open mouthed. Auron sauntered past the dead creatures managing not to step on the dead creatures' venom.

"What are you three doing standing there staring like school boys? Five more just headed to the palace gates with a squad of Trolls! Move it!" he ordered with the barest hint of amusement in his voice and strutted past the three younger men calmly sword resting on his shoulder. Cloud and Squall frowned and Tidus laughed.

"We'll leave it to you," Cloud grumbled unhappily.

"Whatever," Squall griped and the two turned back to return to the teams near the center of the city. Tidus called back his thanks to which Squall and Cloud merely raised a hand in wordless acknowledgment and then he hurried after Auron staring at him in awe.

"You're pretty cool Auron!" he laughed. Auron merely smirked and then hurried forward to assist the Saillune troops at the palace gates. Once there they found little Yugi cornered by a couple of trolls and a giant wolf growling behind him however as they hurried to help him the wolf leapt over Yugi at the young man's order and destroyed the two trolls. Auron did a double take then laughed.

"No one's what they appear to be around here!" he commented sagely. Tidus laughed as he agreed and they hurried up to help princess Yuna and her handmaidens. Tidus froze for a second as he took in Yuna's skimpy battle outfit and the shiny guns holstered on her hips. To his credit though he recovered quickly and both he and Auron joined the three women battling the lizard creatures…

"Yea!" Jou called out from the palace gates as he watched Auron slash two creatures in half. The rapport of Honda's weapons brought him back to his immediate situation. A pack of Trolls had made it past Auron and Yugi had already dispatched a couple with a summoning but he and Honda were busy with three more.

"_Flaming Sword of Battle!_" he yelled calling upon the fire magic of the powerful sword Yugi had conjured for him. He swung it now with devastating effect. Flying creatures swarmed overhead towards the palace proper but Jou knew they wouldn't get far. Kaiba was just inside the gate…

"_Comet Fall!_" Seto yelled and a rain of flaming rocks smashed the flying creatures into the ground. Lina's fireballs could be seen blazing up into the sky as Gourry and Zangalus' swords joined the fray as more creatures dropped from the sky.

"Six, seven…" Gourry swung his lethal sword counting as he went how many creatures he took down.

"TEN!" called Zangalus jovially. Lina called to Gourry to pick up the pace because Zangalus was beating him. She turned to see Amelia and found her near Capt Kaiba tossing just as many fireballs around as she was. She waved to her little friend and launched back into the fight.

Amelia waved back at her friends. They were of course doing quite well. She could expect no less of Lina Inverse and her husband! Captain Kaiba had rarely left her side all week and now was no exception. He seemed to feel responsible for Zel's death and she couldn't for the life of her understand why. He was also demonstrating some very impressive hidden talents. She was glad that she had found him. He would be invaluable in the years to come. This time he called forth a lightning spell of tremendous power as she joined her own magic to the fray intensified by Zel's first gift: the bracelets.

'This victory will be for you my love…' as she blasted away at the enemies.

* * *

"Please win," Filia prayed softly as she looked back to the city. Her dragon senses hearing the battle raging there as she flew away with Mokuba, Val and the last of the evacuees towards Orange Grove. When she arrived the village was in a stir! The villagers were taking in all the refugees but being the closest town to the capital they also prepared themselves to defend the town in case any retreating enemy troops should head their way. Filia landed in the field that she knew was the Ingalls' field and let the children and refugees off.

"I have to go back," she said to Val and Mokuba.

"Would you please help my brother?" Mokuba pleaded softly. Filia smiled and was about to respond when Little Val spoke up a desperate panicked look in his eyes.

"Please Filia-mama! Please save Seto-papa! Please save him!" he pleaded softly. This took Filia by surprise! She had not been aware that Val was so close to Seto as to call him that! She thought about it and decided that she didn't mind. It was Val's choice and she would not deny him that. She owed him that much.

"I will do everything that I can!" she replied then took to the skies heading back at full speed towards the city. As she returning she unleashed her lightning breath upon the flying beasts frying them along with their loads. Cheer rose up from Saillune defenders on the ground as she did! She flew towards the palace and checked on her friends Amelia waved up at her as Capt Kaiba called forth a powerful lightning spell. Lina was up to her usual antics toasting everything in sight and Gourry was being very efficient with his new sword.

She flew past the magically fortified platform that Gaston and Akmed were standing atop and slapped it with her tail causing them to stumble and fall on their butts. She laughed as they stared in awe and fear at her. Nodding in satisfaction she turned her attention to the fell creatures besmirching with their foul presence the bright morning sky…

* * *

Gaston pulled himself up shakily he was a hairsbreadth from all out panic!

"We're losing! Why are we losing!" he shrieked as he looked over the edge and saw that a lot of the creatures they had summoned were turning tail and running. He cast a nervous glance at the shield that currently protected them. He put his hand on the hilt of his sword unwilling to completely trust the shield after that dragon flew by. Akmed straightened himself up.

"Relax nothing will get through the shield as long as we have the genie," Akmed replied somewhat nervously. Gaston watched him warily obviously not willing to trust his partner anymore than the shield. Akmed ignored him and opened the bottle summoning forth his genie once more.

"Jafar! Why is my army losing?" he demanded angrily…

"Why I don't understand sire? I summoned the strongest beasts in existence just as you requested…" Jafar replied as he affected a confused look as he inwardly congratulated himself. That idiot Akmed was so easy to manipulate it was sad! Now all he had to do was trick Akmed into summoning someone very dangerous and powerful with just the right amount of arrogance and he would be free!

"They are just running around like chickens with they're heads cut off! It's disgraceful!" Akmed yelled at Jafar. The clever genie affected a wounded expression.

"Oh I do apologize to you my liege but I am not but a humble genie I am limited only to conjuring what your heart desires… I can only summon your armies I cannot command them," he replied in his best pained and apologetic tone. He bowed low in complete deference.

"Perhaps my lord if you were to appoint a commander for your troops they will respond better of course I can always summon more troops to replace them," he suggested in his best groveling and subservient tone.

"No…that won't do me any good. I need a general so how about it Gaston! Care to take the job?" he suggested craftily.

"Ha! As if! I know what you're thinking! You'll send me down there in hopes that I'll get captured and/or killed and it leaves you free to collect on all the prizes! Well forget it! Find yourself another dope!" Gaston yelled at him. Akmed rolled his eyes. Jafar knew that was of course what his dimwitted master was planning but no matter he would deal with Gaston in time.

"Very well then…" Akmed said thoughtfully and paused to think Lina's Dragon Slave hit their shield and sneaky Jafar turned the shield down enough so they could feel the heat of her spell. Suddenly nervous of how close to victory Saillune was he turned to Jafar.

"Jafar summon the greatest commander in the entire universe!" he ordered without thinking as he tried to pull him self off the ground. He stared in fear at Lina who floated just above the platform. Jafar bowed low to conceal the triumphant smile on his lips.

"As you wish my lord…" Jafar replied gravely. He raised his staff as his genie powers automatically summoned what his "master" desired. He allowed himself a smile then as a long dark figure appeared in front of Akmed. The body was covered by a black feathered wing that for a moment concealed his face as well. As the wing unfurled a man with long white hair looked up slowly then turned a curious glance at Akmed still scurrying on the floor trying to hide from Lina.

"This is your _master_!" Jafar announced with wicked glee. The man glared at Jafar then at Akmed.

"Impossible," he stated simply lightly dusting off his jacket totally ignoring Akmed's fearful orders to go fight Lina. Before Jafar could answer Akmed outraged at being ignored he lashed out.

"I AM YOUR MASTER! I HOLD THE BOTTLE THAT CONTROLS THE GENIE THAT SUMMONED YOU! YOU DO WHAT I TELL YOU!" he yelled outraged at not getting his way immediately.

"Is this true?" the man asked calmly. Jafar again smiled in wicked glee and repeated exactly what his master had wished for.

"I see…" he replied equally calm. He took a moment to examine Akmed still on the ground with a look of mild curiosity and disgust.

Jafar's black bottle hung on Akmed's belt and it was only in that instant just before the man's sword materialized and his new commander's foot smashed the bottle into a thousand pieces that Akmed understood the danger his supposed loyal and obedient genie maneuvered him into. An extremely long thin sword swung in a graceful arch loping off first Akmed's then Gaston's heads in one swing. Neither even got a chance to scream! Jafar laughed triumphantly unlike a lamp genie a bottle genie merely had to get his bottle broken to be free of his genie bonds.

"You! Fetch the rulers of darkness in this world! I want to know why there is so much _light_ in it," the white haired man ordered calmly. Jafar bowed respectfully.

"Who may I say is calling them my lord?" he asked with equal calm.

"Tell them Sephiroth has business with them…That they must answer for the second-rate job they have done so far," he answered turning back to examining the field frowning in disappointment as one after another a creature of darkness fell to the impure beings of light.

"Very well Lord Sephiroth…" Jafar replied as he disappeared 'should be interesting now that someone useful is running the show! I should stick around to see how it turns out!' Jafar thought as he teleported away to call the demon lords…

* * *

YAY! I finally got to bring him in! I knew I was going to get him here eventually but the how eluded me as a myriad possibilities emerged. I watched and re-watched FFVII Advent Children a million times but it wasn't until I saw the ending to the optional boss fight with him in Kingdom Hearts that I finally settled with an idea subtle for this psychotic train wreck of mine!

Slowly it seems my Slayers muse returns to good health and hopefully soon I should be able to finish this story and put its plot bunnies to rest!

Thanks for being patient and thanks for reading and reviewing!


	19. Sephiroth

**Revenge of the Magic of Carealot**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own: Slayers or anything else that ends up on this story! Especially Waldo…

* * *

**Episode 11: Sephiroth…**

* * *

Lina stared in utter shock as one minute Akmed and Gaston were in control and the next some guy with long white hair was chopping off their heads with a simple flick of his very long thin sword. Lina hurried down to where Amelia and Seto were fighting.

"Akmed and Gaston are dead!" she gasped still unable to believe it herself. Seto paused to swing his sword and take out an imp then sheath it and moved closer to Lina and Amelia casting a protection shield so they could confer in relative peace. Lina quickly explained that apparently the genie had summoned a really tough looking guy but Akmed most likely forgot to wish himself a way to control him.

"And his genie sure didn't feel like helping him!" Lina concluded adding Jafar had laughed when his masters died. She didn't think this white-haired guy would be any improvement. Amelia was about to suggest they go talk to him when every creature in the battle in all parts of the city froze then disappeared.

"Have we won?" Seto asked quietly but his voice suddenly sounded loud in the silence that followed. Everyone looked up at the platform as the heads and then the bodies of Gaston and Akmed fell from the platform to splatter on the courtyard. Everyone looked up to see the platform had come lower and became smaller. Everyone could see the man standing on it. The cheer that almost began died instantly. Everyone seemed to sense that the fight for Saillune was not over.

"Ok I'm going up there Lina," Amelia declared solemnly. Lina gasped and grabbed a hold of her wrist while Seto grabbed her arm. Amelia was about to let them have it for their overprotective-ness when Lina pointed up. Several dark figures had now materialized around the white haired warrior with whom they now conferred.

"Look Amelia! It's the Demon Lords! All of them!" Lina gasped her face going a bit pale.

"Sweet Cepheid…" Seto mumbled in astonishment.

"You need to get everybody out Amelia!" Lina ordered "I'm gonna have to cast the Giga Slave," she concluded grimly.

"No Ms. Lina!" Amelia and Seto exclaimed as one.

"You cannot! There must be another way!" Seto insisted urgently.

"Against _all_ the Demon Lords?" Lina countered heatedly "they will vaporize us!" she yelled looking frightened as well as angry and Lina was rarely ever frightened! Amelia pondered this with a troubled expression. Fighting all the Demon Lords at once meant certain destruction whether Lina cast her mighty spell or not. She'd rather not be defeated by the Demon Lords! She was about to say this to Lina when a deep almost seductive voice boomed across the city.

"LINA INVERSE! I WISH TO SPEAK TO YOU DIRECTLY!" the white haired man called out looking around the city as if trying to spot her. Before Lina could respond she found herself held back by Seto and Amelia. Gourry stepped forward.

"What do you want with her?" he demanded angrily sword at the ready but the man ignored him.

"Are you a coward Lina Inverse or have those bumbling idiots managed to kill the _mighty_ Lina Inverse – famed bandit killer and dragon spooker?" he taunted in his silky deep voice.

"That's it!" growled Lina angrily and shoved Seto and Amelia aside. She cast her levitation spell and flew towards the platform which Lina noticed no longer had the shield.

"That's me! Who the hell are you?" she demanded amplifying her voice so all below could hear her. He bowed respectfully and smiled silkily.

"I am Sephiroth…it is an honor to meet you Lina Inverse," he replied calmly keeping his voice amplified so everyone could hear him.

"_Gabriev!_ Lina Inverse-_Gabriev_! Get it right Sephiroth!" she snarled at him despite his good manners, good looks and seductive tone Lina did not trust him.

"My apologies," Sephiroth replied evenly bowing slightly. Lina suppressed a shiver this guy's polite smiles made her nervous. She felt suddenly as though she should not have corrected him. She should've just let him think she was just plain old Lina Inverse.

"So what do want with me?" she demanded roughly.

"It is quite simple Mrs. Inverse-_Gabriev_…I wish you to cast your Giga Slave spell," he replied his voice deep and seductive his smirk silky and misleading. He was hot stuff and he knew it! Everything about him screamed danger to Lina! Danger to her friends…danger to Gourry…

"Why?" she barked angrily as the crowd below called out to her not to cast the spell. Sephiroth smiled and turned away from Lina to look down at the masses.

"A being such as yourself _should_ understand but that shroud of light you cover yourself with I suppose clouds your true sight…" he paused for a moment. Lina finally lost her temper and decided to cast her Dragon Slave. The Demon Lords surrounded Sephiroth then to protect their new toy though such protection was merely a polite but unnecessary gesture. Sephiroth was immune to Lina's Dragon Slave! To the Demon Lords though Sephiroth was like a 10 course meal after a month of fasting! And something about their new "friend" was – to their great joy – nullifying the disruptive effects of Saillune's white magic protection.

"All beings are born of darkness and all shall return to darkness…" he continued calmly as the smoke from Lina's spell dissipated. Unharmed he lifted his hand and with a gesture the creature army returned but the beasts were bigger and stronger than they were before. They could not be frightened off by defeat and they were unhindered by the anti-demon protections of Saillune. The battle began again in earnest.

"Cast your Giga slave Lina Inverse-Gabriev… Throw away that mask of mortality and become your true self… It's the only way you can destroy me," he calmly taunted and turned away from her to watch the battle turn against the Saillune defenders. Lina hurried down below casting fire balls in all directions. The Demon Lords shivered with delight and added their own minions to the fray. The despair, anger and fear that emanated from the battle field was a meal of the likes they hadn't experienced in ages!

* * *

Sephiroth watched the battle with an impassive look on his face. The new creatures he summoned were far more efficient at destroying than the weaklings Jafar had summoned before. But of course he understood that Jafar had merely summoned weaklings on purpose to assist him in his master's ultimate demise. He betrayed his master to be free to cause whatever darkness and chaos he desired and _that _was a worthy goal as far as Sephiroth was concerned.

'I wonder how long it will be before I can coax Lina to cast her devastating spell and turn herself into the Lord of Nightmares?' Sephiroth wondered as he watched her battle his endless horde. He sneered in annoyance as the beleaguered troops received re-enforcements. It didn't matter though they would all be destroyed just the same in the end. The Demon Lords drifted over the city bolstering their troops unimpeded by the white magic built-in protections of Saillune thanks to the unique power Sephiroth possessed.

'I need to find her weakness…' he pondered calmly and then it hit him. A demon snake had managed to get past Lina's fireballs and the man who had spoken to him first had thrown himself in to protect her from the creature's grasp. He was injured by his heroic deed and it distracted Lina from the battle. She stopped to pull him away and quickly summoned a healer to apply a healing spell before going back into the battle. He noticed that Lina didn't seem as concerned for anyone else's welfare as much as the blonde swordsman.

'Ah it seems I have _found_ your weakness!' Sephiroth realized triumphantly. Before he could act however the golden dragon came swooping down firing her lighting breath at him. He grunted slightly at the effort of holding back her attack. The dragon swooped again devouring easily in her lightning breath the creatures in the air that he had summoned.

"First I must deal with you," he growled angrily. He lifted both hands up to the sky and from a dark vortex that opened at his command a huge heavily armored creature of enormous armored wings, large curving horns, an eagle-like beak and very sharp huge talons called Bahamut came screeching out searching for blood. It spotted the golden dragon and went after it immediately. The golden dragon danced around Bahamut but it was obviously outmatched. The demon lords laughed at the golden dragon's plight and Sephiroth merely rolled his eyes.

'Useless idiots! Why couldn't _they_ do this sooner? Then I wouldn't have had to come here to this backwater world to clean up their mess!' he thought disgusted as he watched his beast toy with the soon to be defeated dragon. Satisfied that the dragon would be dealt with he turned his attention back to Lina. Summoning his sword he hopped off the platform and floated lightly down to the palace courtyard where Lina and what Sephiroth assumed must be her husband were fighting…

* * *

Ok so my muse is definitely showing signs of life! Onward I move quickly to the next chapter before a Stargate plot bunny attacks! 


	20. We must fight

**Revenge of the Magic of Carealot**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own: Slayers or anything else that ends up on this story!

* * *

**Episode 12: "We must fight or face defeat…we must stand tall and not retreat!" – Lynn Minmei: Force of Arms**

* * *

Philionel cheered as he watched his people drive back the vile invaders. A tall handsome young swordsman joined him suddenly by slicing in half a troll lumbering towards him. A very beautiful young woman followed behind him casting a powerful fireball at another creature. Phil paused to watch them for a minute the boy looked familiar but he couldn't tell where he could possibly have met him. Phil realized as the woman came closer that she was actually blind! Though the disability didn't seem to impede her superb abilities in the least!

"Hey Grandpa don't stop now! Those Trolls will eat you alive!" The young man called out to him cheerfully. Phil laughed.

'This young man must be VERY young if he's calling _me_ Grandpa!' he thought as the boy and the girl took up positions around him. He was immediately impressed by their teamwork and their combined strength. As he watched the young man though he felt again as if he'd known the boy all his life he shook his head thinking that was completely impossible. Another horde approached leaving him no more time to ponder these mysteries.

"I'm Phillip and this is Aurora!" the young man called out cheerfully to him as they fought through the next wave. He was about to introduce himself but the young man and the woman already knew who he was. Philionel laughed as Aurora poked Phil in the ribs for addressing the crown Prince in such a casual manner. Phil didn't care since it was obvious the boy's heart was in the right place. He was grateful however for the strength of his new protectors who stuck close to him for the remainder of the battle fighting off creatures and healing wounds. They made an awesome team!

"We'll worry about protocol later!" he laughed "now: IN THE NAME OF JUSTICE GO FORWARD TROOPS! THE RIGHTEOUS SHALL BE VICTORIOUS TODAY!" he bellowed so loudly nearby troops on both sides paused. With a war cry he launched forward his new companions close on his heels as other members of his guard followed him into the fray their spirits lifted by Phil's declaration. The enemy had been routed…the enemy troops were now fleeing the city at highest speed. Phil cheered and encouraged his comrades onward.

He nearly screamed himself hoarse when the regular Saillune army arrived and his loyal friend Gen Walker joined him. He stopped to pat Prince Pavan encouragingly on the shoulder as he was joined by his elite squad whom had been sent via a teleport device his cousin Medea possessed as soon as the messenger from Saillune had arrived in Ascantha. Despite the arrival of Sephiroth Phil continued to encourage his troops. He still believed that they could win…

* * *

Raven struggled on the tower casting arrow after magical arrow. The fighting had paused only long enough for Corey to refill her quiver and bring a couple of extra quivers. He stood behind her now holding up a large shield attempting to protect her from the worst attacks but despite his heroic efforts a few enemy arrows managed to slip through. One arrow managed to nick her and while the wound itself was not life threatening Raven could tell she hadn't very long. The poison seeping through her would kill her within the next few minutes.

"Corey look!" she called trying to keep pain out of her voice. Less than a mile from the palace gates Saillune's army could be seen riding fast what looked like a giant rainbow. Corey cheered and called down to the rest of the troops the good news. A cheer rose weakly from the tired and battle scarred fighters. Raven sighed with relief.

'All I have to do now is last long enough for Chels to get here…' she thought. The magic of the bow forbid males from using it. The only exception would be if there were no females left in her bloodline to take the bow a male would be able to substitute. Through the magic of the bow she knew her mother would not be able to take it.

'Chels will protect Corey…' she thought tiredly as she continued to fire the arrows with unerring aim.

"Hey Raven you ok?" asked Corey worriedly as his giant shield deflected another volley.

"I'm fine! Just keep that shield up!" Raven replied quickly. She smiled… Chelsea had reached the draw bridge! She could see the rapport of her canon already doing away with the new enemies with ease. Her happiness was cut short as she saw Jesse flying across the gate back into the city proper from a hit by a troll's giant club.

She screamed and fired arrows felling the beast but the damage was done. Jesse fell and did not get up again. Mai screamed and threw herself more furiously into the battle cutting down viciously anything that came in her path. One of the medics stopped to check Jesse but shook his head and moved on. Another soldier moved Jesse's body to the side to keep it from being trampled by the advancing horde. Furiously - though her strength waned - she fired her arrows.

"Corey I'm running low!" she called back. Reluctantly her little brother put the shield down and hurried to find more ammo for his sister.

"And get Chels up here!" she called out as he hurried away not wanting to leave his sister unprotected for too long. Raven smiled as she continued to fire her arrows she felt something hit her back but she was beyond pain now. She didn't let up until the last minute but her strength finally failed and she collapsed. She had one last vision: Chelsea and her brother celebrating. She smiled…

* * *

Corey ran down the stairs gathering arrows off of dead enemies. So intent was he on his mission that he didn't see the man in front of him until he smashed headlong into him. He jumped back fearing it might be an enemy but his eyes suddenly went wide with shock.

"L-l-lord Greywords!" he exclaimed in utter disbelief.

"Your name is Corey correct?" intoned Zelgadis it was not a question. Corey nodded completely speechless. In front of him stood the supposed dead fiancée of Queen Amelia Wil Tesla de Seyruun. He was quite alive and not alone! With him was a tall man with short white hair wearing black sunglasses and a long red trench coat he used his guns to shoot enemies with amazing and deadly accuracy.

"Where is Amelia? Can you tell me?" Zelgadis ordered firmly.

"She's up at the palace sir! She thinks you're dead!" he replied both awed and shocked. Zelgadis asked him then what he was doing and Corey immediately explained he was gathering arrows for his sister. Zel quickly looked around and snatched up an empty quiver from an enemy. He took the few arrows Corey had gathered and cast a spell on the quiver.

"Here the quiver will replenish itself for two hours!" he said handing Corey a magically refilled quiver "this has to end by then!" he declared grimly looking at his companion.

"Lead the way Zel!" his companion said and with a nod to Corey they ran off passing a shocked Mai and Chelsea on his way. Chelsea ran towards Corey a triumphant smirk on her face. Chelsea and Corey exchanged an excited look and ran up the stairs back to the tower telling everyone they ran into that Lord Greywords had come back from the dead.

They found Raven on her knees with her head resting against the wall her eyes closed and a smile on her face. She looked as if she was taking a break. Corey and Chelsea ran calling out her name. Raven did not respond. When they reached her Corey realized there was a pool of blood gathering behind Raven. Alarmed he looked at her back and her armor had been punctured several times.

"No! Rai NO!" Chelsea screamed dropping her canon and taking her friend in her arms. Tears streamed quietly from Corey's eyes as he allowed himself a moment to grieve. He put his arms around Chelsea and his sister.

"Come on Chels! Lord Greywords said this would be over soon! We gotta keep going," he sobbed. Reluctantly Chelsea dislodged herself from her friend and they laid her gently on the ground between them. They clasped hands.

"Let's win Corey!" Chelsea declared grimly.

"Yea for Raven!" Corey agreed solemnly. Raven's bow pulsed. If it hadn't disappeared from Raven's side it meant to Corey that his mother had fallen as well. There were no females to take the bow so it fell now to him. Grimly he picked it up and set the first of his arrows on it.

"I watch your back and you watch mine!" Corey declared confidently.

"You got it!" Chelsea asserted and both began laying their deadly fire upon the enemy…

* * *

Seto watched for a moment as Filia – the queen of the sky – vaporized enemy after enemy with ease. But his seasoned warrior instincts told him she was starting to get tired. He cheered when her attack against Sephiroth forced him to back away a few steps. He could see Sephiroth glare after her.

"Take that you bastard!" he cheered as he swung his sword and fired a spell right behind it. Then a horrible screeching noise reverberated through the entire city as a horrible shadow spread through the ground. He looked up in time to see a great horrible beast emerge from a dark vortex. It was at least twice the size of Ms. Filia and far better armored with more combat experience.

He desperately cut down one then the next enemy trying to reach a higher ground. Ms. Filia did a fair job of staying away from it's talons but was barely able to avoid its deadly lightning breath. After a while he could tell the beast was just toying with her. He looked at Sephiroth and realized by the smirk on the man that he had summoned the beast to do exactly that. Perhaps to sap away at the morale of the fighters. Filia was their ace…

'If she loses…' he shook the thought away! Filia couldn't lose! He wouldn't allow it! He forced his mind to calm down and search for the answer which he was certain would be buried in his mind. Something his grandmother had mentioned long ago only he would be able to do:

"_One day when you're strong enough you can use the secret shape! But be careful! Don't use it unless your life is worth what you're defending with it!"_

His eyes flew open and he smiled he knew now what he had to do. Seto was not only the last druid but the last in a very _special_ line of druids. He felt his body lifting up into the air as the magic of the wild shapes began burning in him with a power that felt like it would consume him entirely. Filia fell finally from a blow of the creatures claws half-conscious transforming into her human form as she came crashing down. The beast circled gloating!

Seto caught her easily and gently placed her on a nearby rooftop. He continued shooting up towards the massive enemy letting the power build within him until finally it exploded! He screamed a challenge at the beast but was half shocked when the challenge came out as an earth shattering roar instead of words! He took an instant to note the silver claws that were now his hands and the massive silver body that now housed his soul.

'I will crush you!' Seto thought viciously at his opponent. His heart leaping for joy! He finally found the strength to protect those he loved! The beast eyed him warily obviously understanding that while Filia may not have been in his class Seto would be more than a match for it! Seto's dragon mouth opened and a beam of white light fired directly at the beast hitting its mark and stunning Bahamut Seto quickly followed his first attack with a swipe from his new massive claws.

'I will win!' Seto promised himself fiercely and the fight was on! He didn't hear the cheers that rose from the ground but he would've smirked in amusement if he had seen Jou and Honda jumping up and down yelling "Go Kaiba Go!" or Yugi yelling "Give 'em hell Kaiba!" as they watched him transform from below…

* * *

Amelia had joined Lina and Gourry when he was injured. Zangalus had drifted off towards the opposite end of the courtyard but returned to his old sparring buddy as soon as he noticed Gourry had been injured. The injury had not been severe and after a quick patch up from Amelia he was on his feet good as new! They all paused to watch in astonishment as Amelia's captain of the guard Seto Kaiba transformed into a huge silver-white dragon.

"Wow! Druids are awesome!" Lina cheered as she watched Kaiba turn the battle in their favor once more. Zangalus and Gourry pumped their fists in the air shouting encouragements to the young captain.

"Zelgadis would've been so proud of him," Amelia commented smiling wistfully. Jou ran towards Amelia intent on taking Kaiba's position as the queen's protector. Amelia decided she would go check on Filia and was off meeting Jou half way. They were joined by Honda and then Yugi.

Lina sighed heavily but before she could say anything she turned and froze. Sephiroth had actually come down from his perch. He stood calmly smirking as he squared off against Gourry. Lina called out to him to back away and she would take him on but with a grim determined look on his face Gourry refused to back down. Zangalus pulled her away understanding that this was Gourry's fight. His swordsman's honor demanded he face Sephiroth alone.

"Please win Gourry" Lina prayed softly as she battled other invaders. And even though she shouted cheers and encouragements her heart constricted with worry as Sephiroth's sword came too close to Gourry's head every now and then. Their swords clashed loudly with such speed that it was often difficult for the untrained eye to follow. Occasionally fighters would lift their eyes to witness the magnificent sword battle and admire the grace and sheer power of the swordsmen.

Everyone's eyes alternated between their own battles and watching either the great beasts battling for supremacy in the sky or the amazing swordsmen clashing in the courtyard of the palace. Then suddenly when it seemed Gourry was finally going to gain the upper hand Sephiroth's sword parried his opponent's thrust and skewered Gourry in a near fatal wound near his left shoulder making him unable to fight anymore.

"No! Gourry No!" Lina screamed running towards him. She reached him in time to keep him from smashing to the ground and put him gently on the courtyard stones. Blood poured freely out of the wound she looked around frantically for Amelia but she was not around. Gourry begged her not to use the Giga Slave before he became unconscious from the loss of blood. She patched him up as best she could then she turned to glare at Sephiroth.

"So it seems you are finally ready…" Sephiroth intoned calmly. Her response was simple:

"_**Darkness beyond blackest pitch deeper than the deepest night…"**_

* * *

****

Zelgadis hurried down the streets shocked to see the bright and beautiful Saillune so ravaged by these monstrous invaders even more horrible was the thought that Amelia believed him to be dead. He knew he should've levitated to the palace but after running into Corey at the gates he realized he was more help by stopping to assist the troops on his way to the palace. He looked up every now and then to watch in astonishment the silver-white dragon battling overhead and wondering where it came from.

From Rinoa and Squall he learned that Jafar – Prince Akmed's genie – had teleported him away but masked it behind some kind of fire spell making it look as though he had disintegrated Zelgadis. He hurried up the main road. He paused once more as he spotted a blood drenched Sylphiel sitting against a wall. Her eyes were open and she was barely breathing but Zel realized her wounds were too severe she would not last much longer. Zell Dincht's dead body lay draped across her legs.

"Zelgadis? I was expecting my father," she wheezed painfully.

"Sylphiel…" he began but words failed him. She smiled realizing in one final moment of clarity that Zelgadis was not dead he had come back somehow.

"Gaston and Akmed are dead… in their greed they summoned something _worse_…" she began urgently "don't let Lina cast the Giga Slave! Don't let her…" her voice failed her then and the light left her eyes. Zelgadis reached up to close Sylphiel's eyes. Rage exploded in him as he looked around and found many more familiar faces in the dead.

"Dante…please go to the palace and find my fiancée Amelia. Please make sure she's safe!" Zelgadis intoned solemnly. Dante smirked.

"You're gonna go take on this "worse" thing right?" Dante asked knowing almost immediately even before Zel's determined nod that the answer was yes. It's what he would do in Zel's place. Zelgadis took to the sky in the direction Sylphiel had weakly pointed in. Dante didn't stop to puzzle on how he did this without a devil trigger. He ran full tilt in the direction of the castle stopping every now and then to lend a hand and gather information about what his new friend was going off to fight but didn't linger for long…

* * *

Amelia looked around feeling at the brink of utter despair once more. Her once bright city was ravaged by the battle and even though Saillune's army had returned the battle still was not turning in their favor once more. Jou was down below still near the palace gates injured. Honda and Yugi were doing their best to protect him while Lisa cast a healing spell. Everyone looked tired and hurt. Filia was weakened by her wounds but she would be alright. She looked down at her self and aside from some rips on her clothes and some dirt she was fine. She wasn't even tired.

"Why?" she wondered angrily finding it suddenly unfair! She realized that it had to do with Zel's second gift. The ring glowed brightly casting a continuous recovery spell that was quite powerful. She ripped it from her finger and flung it away from her angrily sobbing disconsolate. She wanted to bleed and die with her people! Amelia was broken.

"Zelgadis…" she sobbed as she watched her people battle wearily yet still determined to win. Yes she would bleed and she would die with the rest of her people then join her beloved in the next world! She threw herself down on the main road rushing past daddy determined to fight with every ounce of life left in her! Her progress was halted by three of the large venomous lizard creatures one in front and two behind her. Amelia took them on dispatching the first with ease and turning to face the other two.

She cast her spells again with deadly consequences but in her fury she failed to notice in time the draconian coming up behind her. She was so used to having Zelgadis at her back she had forgotten to stay alert for possible back attacks. She turned too late ready to meet her death but it never came. The creature slumped to the ground. A sword poked out from its chest for a moment then was pulled out as it fell.

Her protector was a tall man with short white hair wearing black clothes and a long red trench coat. He studied her for a moment with mild curiosity as he tossed aside the sword he'd picked up along the way mumbling something about it being useless. He asked her if she was alright and for a moment Amelia was so angry at the man for denying her the reunion with her beloved she so desperately wanted that she couldn't speak.

"Are you Amelia?" he asked pulling out a pair of guns shooting them without looking and still managing to hit his mark. The question caught her by surprise continuing to keep her speechless. Everyone knew who she was in Saillune why would he ask that? She simply nodded.

"A mutual acquaintance of ours whom I just rescued from hell asked me to find you. Come on we need to hurry!" he said and pulled Amelia along with him as he raced back towards where his compaion was poised for the final battle. Too shocked and curious Amelia could do nothing but follow…

* * *

In Orange Grove the villagers were contending with their own problems some beasts from the earlier summonings had managed to escape in their direction. The villagers did a good job of destroying the small and medium sized ones but currently a large horned beast the size of an elephant was rampaging down the road and nothing seemed to be able to stop it.

"Get back!" yelled Cid. As the fighters scrambled hoping the beast would barrel down their main road and just keep going straight out of town! One person however lost in grief from hearing of her master's death refused to move. She stood in the middle of the road calmly summoning all the power her master had bestowed on her. The last spell he taught her was the fireball. He had been very stern about not using it unless she _absolutely_ had no other choice.

"Right now I have no other choice master," she said hoping somehow her dear master would hear her. She reached deep down for every ounce of spell casting wisdom her master had ever given her. Her injured brothers and parents called out desperately for her to get away as the beast's monstrous galloping rattled the earth. She ignored them as she chanted all the words for the spell very carefully assuming the pose her master had taught her:

_**FIREBALL!**_

A huge ball of flames burst from Laura's hands hitting the creature dead on disintegrating not just the beast but all the ones stampeding behind it! She smiled at her accomplishment but it had taken too much power from her. A cheer rose from the villagers who shouted: "Hooray for mighty little Laura!" but Laura wasn't able to respond. She found her knees buckling and knew she was not going to be able to keep herself upright. It didn't matter! The village was safe and she knew her master would've been proud.

She expected to hit the ground hard but instead a pair of arms stopped her rapid descent and lower her gently to the ground. A face was smiling at her but she thought she must be dreaming. After all Almanzo Wilder just couldn't stand the sight of her or so he had said many times! So he just could not be smiling at her…could he? She was too exhausted so pondered it no more. She heard her master's voice deep and soothing:

"_Well done Laura…"_

She smiled as his voice called for her to join him.

"I'm coming master…" she said softly and exhaustion vanished as she felt herself surrounded by light…

* * *

Ok now let's keep moving 'cause I'm on a roll! 


	21. Rise of the Dragon knights

**Revenge of the Magic of Carealot**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own: Slayers or anything else that ends up on this story!

* * *

**Insert: The Rise of the Dragon Knights…**

* * *

Mokuba watched equal parts frustrated and amazed as Laura dispatched the beast threatening Orange Grove. He wanted to help his friends. He wanted to protect his big brother. He needed power…He needed to be a dragon!

"Val I need to do this!" he hissed desperate. He had been trying for since Filia dropped them off to break his binds but had no success.

"Just calm down! The more frustrated you get the harder it'll be!" Val scolded annoyed stomping his foot childishly.

"Seto-papa believes in us! Now if Laura can do _that_!" Val pointed angrily to the devastation Laura's fireball had caused "_you_ can turn back into a dragon!" Val yelled at him just as frustrated.

"That's different she's…" he began to complain then realized what it was he had been doing wrong. He didn't believe! He was still thinking like a human and thus sabotaging himself with his disbelief. He closed his eyes and with a deep breath began to think of all the things that as a dragon he would be able to do. Slowly he stepped away from Mokuba the human and began trying to remember Mokuba the Ancient dragon.

He fell into a sort of trance and delved deeper into his psyche. There he found a large ball of power that seemed to be imprisoned in dark chains. He reached to tug at the chains but he could not budge them. His human hands were not strong enough. He stared at them angrily. The ball of power seemed to surge and he found himself suddenly on the other side of the chains struggling to break free. For a moment he despaired he hadn't been able to break them before from the outside then how could he possibly do it from within?

"A human could not but I…AM A DRAGON!" he roared as power exploded within him and the chains of the spell broke as easily as if they had been made of string. When he opened his eyes Val had already changed into his dragon form but Mokuba found himself looking down towards Val. He realized he was at least 40 percent bigger than Val. It made sense after all Mokuba was supposed to be close to an adolescent while Val was barely older than a hatchling.

"You did it!" Val cheered.

"Let's go help Seto!" Mokuba enthused. As they lifted into the air a cheer rose from Orange Grove as two more dragons – the mighty guardians of the sky – rose in Saillune's defense.

"Hold on big brother! Hold on everyone! We're coming!" Mokuba prayed softly as they flew at top speed back to Saillune. As they neared Saillune city's air space they were intercepted by some flying creatures. Mokuba quickly learned to use his claws and breath weapon as he and Val reclaimed the sky from the enemy. High above an immense silver-white dragon battled an equally large dark beast.

"Is that …big brother?" Mokuba asked hesitantly. The color of this majestic dragon was a color he'd never heard of dragons being before. He and Val were dark metallic gray in color. He confirmed however as he and Val maneuvered closer that his big brother's soul was inside the beast.

"I knew you could do it Mokuba! Stay back! This one is _mine_!" he roared towards them. They cheered joyously and moved away to contend with the smaller prey littering the sky and earth leaving their beloved Seto to fight his battle. They watched and cheered him on with pride. They knew there was no way Seto could lose…

* * *

Seto danced around Bahamut his mind so focused on getting his revenge on the beast he noticed nothing that was happening down below. He was distracted for a moment as he sensed the approach of his little brother and Val. He turned quickly to see _two_ ancient dragons flying into Saillune demolishing flying enemies easily with their dragon weapons.

'Yes!' he cheered to himself. 'Mokuba figured it out!' his spirit rejoiced and pushed him to greater achievements. The two smaller dragons began maneuvering closer to him but Seto warned them back. He heard them cheer for him and moved away to continue to help the troops closer to the ground. The two of them were more than a match for what was down there!

The creature tried to take advantage of Seto's momentary distraction to get in a hit but Seto was ready for him. He deftly dodged Bahamut's dive bomb swiping his claws at his enemy's momentarily exposed underside. It shrieked in pain and anger and surged back towards Seto firing its blue fire breath weapon. Seto responded with his white lightning and both blasts met half way. Bahamut poured all of his strength into his fire and slowly it seemed to begin to overpower Seto's lightning.

'_**I will not LOSE!**_' he declared with a vengeance determined not to be undone by this evil minion. His lightning pushed back and began to overpower Bahamut. Light rained down upon Saillune blinding for a moment all the fighters on both sides as Seto finally gained the upper hand. An enormous blast of light finally defeated Bahamut disintegrating him completely.

'I won…' he thought tiredly feeling at peace finally. As the ground suddenly exploded with cheers he felt something inside him crack. He realized now why grandmother had cautioned him against using this form. This form was too powerful for his human body to sustain for long. He felt his hold on the magic slip away and he plummeted freely towards the ground as he transformed back into a human.

He knew he was going to die but it no longer mattered. He found the power to protect those he loved and somehow he knew that with his victory Saillune would prevail. Filia, Val and Mokuba would be safe now he knew that for a fact. He felt a strong large body slip underneath him and slow his descent. He guessed it was either Mokuba or Val who had caught him and now carried him down safely towards the ground. The wind rushed past him but he couldn't see anything except the clouds above him.

"Jou! Honda! Grab him from that side!" Seto heard Yugi's voice though it sounded deeper and more assertive than Yugi ever sounded. He closed his eyes trying to control the pain he was feeling as he was lowered to the ground and something soft that smelled lightly of Filia's soft flowery scent was placed under his head. Seto suspected it was her cape. Slowly he opened his eyes again. Several faces looked down at him with concern.

"Kaiba! You're supposed to keep the wings on until _after_ you land you big dummy!" Jou yelled at him but Seto could tell Jou wasn't angry he was just worried and trying to lighten the mood a little. Despite the pain he laughed.

"Oh so now you laugh? Remind me to get you beat up a little the next time I wanna tell you a joke! Bruises seem to improve your sense of humor!" he teased and again Seto laughed.

"It also seems to improve your comedy skills Katsuya!" he bantered back and was rewarded with a few chuckles from Katsuya and the others with him.

"Yugi, Honda, Jou…" he began turning solemn once more "return to your duties! Guard the Queen and see to it that this battle is won!" he commanded gravely. He felt a surge of pride as he heard the simultaneous "Yes sir" from the three and saw the determined looks on their faces. They hurried away after Filia promised to look after him. Once they were gone he turned then to Lisa who was still trying hard to repair the internal damage the dragon spell had done him.

"Stop Lisa…return to the battle…there's nothing you can do for me…" he ordered though the pain was making it difficult for him to speak. She sobbed once and squeezed his hand then hurried away to follow one last command. Val and Mokuba back in their human forms moved closer taking each one of his hands.

"I'm sorry Mokuba…Val…I can't delay the call of the forest today…" he began. They raised his hands to their chests squeezing them tightly and began to cry softly begging him not to leave them.

"Don't be mad Val…I need you to be strong…both of you," Seto added but the pain now was making it difficult to stay conscious. He had one more task to accomplish though and Seto hated leaving work undone!

"Ms. Filia may I burden you with a request?" he asked formal with her even now in his last moments because in Seto's world _she_ was the queen.

"Of course captain! Anything at all! Name it please!" she replied eagerly her soft hand brushing away the hair blocking his vision and even though she smiled the tear traveling down her cheek pained him more than his ruptured organs.

"Would you care for Mokuba? He will need your guidance…" he began solemnly.

"Absolutely captain! You needn't even ask! Mokuba will be well cared for I promise!" she sobbed and it broke Seto's heart to see her cry. His duties were all completed now and there was nothing more that needed to be said. He smiled at the three dragons feeling content in the knowledge that his people had not failed in their duty to protect the future of the great dragon races.

"What's that?" he asked as a bright ball of light hovered above Saillune. He heard Lord Greyword's voice coming from it calling out to him. He smiled and called back. The pain disappeared as he was surrounded by light…

* * *

You know I feel these dragons have really started to upstage the main characters in this story…How did that happen?

Oh well… Slowly it seems we will soon come upon the end of this epic train wreck! The next posting shall be my last for this story! Thank you all for your patience!


	22. Xelloss and Zelas

**Revenge of the Magic of Carealot**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own: Slayers or anything else that ends up on this story!

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**Insert: Xelloss and Zelas**

* * *

The boat had long since stopped and dropped them off. Now Xelloss and his mistress were sitting happily in two large comfortable chairs in a large luxurious room. Zelas' pets had been brought into this new room earlier and had been fed and groomed. The beasts lounged happily at her feet now as they watched a large screen. A large array of snacks lay on a table nearby and a smiling waiter stood at one end of the table ready to serve their every pleasure. Xelloss however had determined that the young man was one of the many illusions created by the room. 

"How long do you suppose we will be here?" Zelas inquired not for the first time. However she didn't seem keen on leaving their comfortable appointments just yet. Xelloss was about to reply when the screen flickered on and the lights dimmed. A soft pleasant female voice came on the speakers:

"_Welcome to Past Tense Theater! The best dinner theater in the universe! To enhance your viewing pleasure this film has been modified from its original version as follows: all happy endings have been removed. Thank you for choosing Past Tense theaters! We hope you enjoy your show!"_

Xelloss clapped happily as the movie began. Saillune was on the screen apparently readying for a massive invasion. They ooohed and aaaahed as the Saillune army was tricked into leaving the city unguarded. They savored Amelia's complete despair and the fear and rage of Saillune's citizens. Xelloss laughed as Filia was slapped down by a giant beast. They sneered as a powerful and mysterious silver-white dragon defeated Bahamut but clapped joyously when the dragon seemed to fall to its death. They sat at the edge of their seats as Gourry was defeated by Sephiroth and Lina began to call the Lord of Nightmares!

"Ah…we're missing all the fun!" moaned Xelloss and his mistress agreed. Just when Zelgadis had finally appeared on the screen however the movie ended. The pleasant voice returned:

"_Thank you for choosing Past Tense theaters! We hope you've enjoyed your show! Please have a safe trip home!"_

A door opened behind Xelloss and Zelas' chairs. The waiter now stood by that door ready to usher them out with his polite but complete unfeeling smile.

"Oh maybe we can catch some of the fun!" Xelloss hoped out loud as he and his mistress stood from their comfy reclining chairs. Zelas shook her head as she called her wolves to her.

"Unlikely…This is _Past Tense_ theaters remember? It's likely all of this happened while we were trapped in that tunnel," she reasoned.

"So we were trapped here merely to keep us out of the way then," Xelloss surmised solemnly remembering that the other Demon Lords had been in the movie. Zelas nodded and walked briskly now to the door. She could see as she neared it that her throne room awaited her beyond it.

"As soon as were home Xelloss I want you to go to Saillune and find out what has happened while we were gone!" she ordered solemnly. Xelloss bowed deferentially to his master and as soon as both of them had crossed the threshold leaving that crazy prison for good he hurried to obey his master's orders. Zelas walked calmly to her chair.

"Why does everything seem so quiet?" she wondered as she sat absently stroking one of her wolves' head. She decided then that while her top minion was out doing his duty she would pay her fellow Demon Lords a visit…

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Ok slowly but surely I am getting to the end here! I just hope I don't get attacked by another SG1 plot bunny! At least I finally beat FF12 so it's released its hold on me…somewhat… 

Anyway! Thanks for reading and reviewing!


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